Karnataka has made snakebite deaths and cases notifiable under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020.
- Following this, the State Health Department has directed all hospitals and medical colleges including private facilities to mandatorily enter all snakebite cases and deaths on the Integrated Health Information Portal (IHIP).
- Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease caused by the bite of a venomous snake. These bites are usually accidental in nature.
- However, snakebite envenoming is a significant public health concern.
- With this, snakebite envenoming and deaths are now on a par with other notifiable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
- Cases of snakebites and deaths are witnessing a steady increase, and notifying snakebites and deaths will help in shifting the government’s focus and developing urgently needed interventions.
