Snakebites a major health concern in Assam

Experts have identified delayed medical intervention and lack of awareness of proper first-aid measures as factors behind snakebites becoming a major public health concern in Assam.

Assam is not among the top five States where people are envenomed due to snakebites. According to a 2020 study published in Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, most of the snakebite cases during 2018-19 were reported from West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

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Snakebite specialists who attended a capacity-building workshop on ethical snake rescue and snakebite prevention in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve on January 27-28 said Assam recorded 36 deaths due to snakebites in 2024.

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) was the organiser of the workshop along with the Assam Forest Department, Help Earth, and the Zoological Society of Assam. Forest officials and nature enthusiasts from eight districts of the State participated in the workshop.

“An average of 35,000 snakebite cases are reported in the State every year,” Surajit Giri, a specialist in snakebite treatment said.

“Biodiverse Assam is home to many species of snakes, including the king cobra, monocled cobra, and banded krait, some of which were highly venomous and contribute to the region’s snakebite fatalities,” Kaziranga’s field director, Sonali Ghosh said.

“Snakebites are a major public health issue. The fatalities are due to delayed medical intervention and lack of awareness of proper first-aid measures,” she said, adding that human-snake encounters in Assam happen mostly during the monsoon months.

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She said the workshop was a step toward developing a herpetofauna-trained and informed network of nature enthusiasts and frontline forest personnel to minimise snakebite fatalities in Assam.

The MCBT’s Gnaneswar Ch., who specialises in snakebite mitigation, demonstrated advanced techniques in safe snake rescue, effective first-aid measures for snakebites, community engagement strategies to reduce human-snake conflict, conservation ethics, and rehabilitation techniques.