All efforts would be made to bring down snakebite deaths to zero, Health Minister, K. Muraleedharan, has said.

He was inaugurating a national seminar on Snakebite Envenoming Management, organised by the School of Public Health and Kerala University of Health Sciences here on Monday to discuss the scientific and policy interventions aimed at bringing down snakebite fatalities in the State to zero.

Mr. Muraleedharan said that it was deeply concerning that snakebites and rabies were continuing to cause significant loss of lives in a State which is hailed as a model of public health in the country. In the State, on an average 20 people die of snakebites annually. The fact that a number of these deaths are in children underscores the urgency of eliminating fatalities due to snakebites.

The Minister said that while the valuable service rendered by the doctors, nurses and other health workers was widely appreciated, they should not refuse to administer anti-snake venom for fear of the side effects that they may have to manage. He said that facilities would be created at the periphery hospitals for the proper administration of anti snakevenom and observation of patients

The seminar also discussed the SARPA mobile app developed by the Forest Department, which helps users quickly locate snake catchers as well as hospitals where treatment facilities are available. The ecological behaviour of venomous snakes, the SARPA surveillance system, limitations of existing antivenom treatment, and emerging scientific treatment options were discussed. at the seminar.

Experts who spoke said that it was a matter of concern that children and socially marginalised communities continue to account for a disproportionate share of snakebite deaths.

Factors identified as contributing to higher mortality due to snakebites included poor housing conditions, occupational risk exposure, and failure to receive treatment within the golden hour.

The seminar also highlighted the need to develop next-generation treatments, as the current polyvalent anti-snake venom is not effective against all snake species.

Nishigandha Naik, ICMR former Emeritus Professor, Sandeep Das, DBT Research Associate, Calicut University, and Karthik Sunagar , Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Science, among others, spoke.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Kerala University of Health Sciences, Mohanan Kunnummal, said that the University was committed to building the medical research expertise needed to bring snakebite deaths to zero