New Delhi, Dec 1 (Agency) Centre on Saturday asked States and Union Territories to categorise snakebite cases and deaths as a ‘Notifiable Disease’ under the relevant provisions of the State Public Health Act or other applicable legislation.In a letter to the Principal Secretary and Additional Secretary (Health) of all States and UTs, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava termed Snakebites an issue of public health concern, stating, “In certain cases, Snakebites cause mortality, morbidity and disability.”
“Farmers and tribal populatios are at higher risk,” She added.“In order to address the issue of snakebite, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the “National Action Plan for Prevention & Control of Snakebite Envenoming from India by 2030” (NAPSE) in consultation with relevant ministries and stakeholders,” Srivastava noted.“The objective of the action plan is to halve the snakebite related deaths by the year 2030,” the Union Health Secretary highlighted, adding that the plan has defined strategic components, roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders involved in snakebite management, control and prevention.“One of the key objectives under NAPSE is to strengthen the surveillance of snakebite cases and deaths in India. A robust surveillance system is essential for accurately tracking snakebite incidents and deaths, which will provide valuable data to inform and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions,” she said.“
Therefore, mandatory notification of all snakebite cases and deaths is required to strengthen snakebite surveillance. It will help the stakeholders gauge accurate burden, high risk areas, factors responsible for deaths of snakebite victims, etc. resulting in improved clinical management of snakebite victims,” Srivastava underlined.“Further, notification of snakebite cases and deaths will also improve reporting from private health facilities,” she added.“In view of the above, you are requested to categorise snakebite cases and deaths as a Notifiable Disease under the relevant provisions of the State Public Health Act or other applicable legislation. This will make it mandatory for all government and private health facilities (including medical colleges) to report all suspected and confirmed snakebite cases and deaths using the enclosed format,” the Health Secretary said.