JAIPUR: Rajasthan is grappling with a serious snakebite crisis, as the medicines available in state hospitals are proving ineffective in neutralizing the venom of desert snakes. According to recent research, more than half of the snakebite cases in the state are caused by the highly venomous Saw Scaled Viper (Echis carinatus sochureki), locally known as the Peevana snake. A study conducted on 210 patients of snake-bitten cases, revealed that 105 of these cases had E.c. sochureki envenoming. The study highlights the alarming finding of poor antivenom response to E. c. sochureki envenoming, with significant clinical bleeding and delayed coagulopathy. The study suggested that there is an urgent need for region-specific antivenom in Western India.The primary issue lies in the fact that the antivenom currently used in Rajasthan is produced using the venom of South Indian snakes. However, this antivenom is ineffective in nearly 70% of Peevana snakebite cases. This alarming finding has emerged from a joint study conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi. The study reveals that desert snakes, including the Peevana, possess more potent venom than their South Indian counterparts. As a result, patients often require 5 to 10 antivenom injections, but in rural areas, even administering 150 to 200 injections has proven ineffective in counteracting the venom.
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