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Over 400 doctors trained to reduce snakebite fatalities in tribal regions of Nashik, Nandurbar districts

Experts have said that the proposal should be expedited to enhance surveillance, enable timely intervention, and ensure an effective public health response.

The state government has launched a targeted initiative to reduce snakebite fatalities in tribal and rural regions by training medical officers in prevention, diagnosis, and effective treatment of snakebite envenoming. (Express Photo)

Snakebite continues to be a key indicator of rural health disparities. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2030 goal to reduce snakebite-related deaths and disabilities by half depends on the timely administration of antivenom— within the critical “golden hour.”

However, this responsibility often falls on under-resourced primary health centres in remote areas. Pre-training assessments revealed that many rural doctors lacked the confidence to manage snakebite cases, resulting in unnecessary referrals and preventable deaths.

Now, in a decisive push, the state government has launched a targeted initiative to reduce snakebite fatalities in tribal and rural regions by training medical officers in prevention, diagnosis, and effective treatment of snakebite envenoming.

The Model Rural Health Unit (MRHRU), Vani, Nashik district, in partnership with the state Public Health Department, has trained over 450 medical officers from Nashik and Nandurbar districts. The training programme was held recently under the aegis of the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAP-SE) and the sessions were steered by Dr Sadanand Raut,national expert on snakebites, Dr Rahul Gajbhiye, nodal officer, MRHRU, Vani and Scientist E, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH), and Dr Hrishikesh Munshi, Scientist C, ICMR-NIRRCH, Mumbai.

Dr Raut told The Indian Express that as part of the Mission Zero Snakebite deaths, several areas in and around the northern part of Pune have reduced the number of cases. These areas include Junnar, Ambegaon and leading up to Rajgurunagar, Sangamner and Ahmednagar. “Earlier, we would get a lot of cases from these areas. Now after training medical officers at PHCs and creating awareness, there has been a definite reduction in the number of snakebite cases from these areas. We have helped reduce the bite- to-needle time in snakebite cases,” said Dr Raut who has saved well over 12,000 lives in the last two decades.

According to data available with the Union Health Ministry, in India, around 50,000 deaths occur of an estimated 3-4 million snakebites annually which accounts for half of all snakebite deaths globally.

According to experts,venomous snake bites can result in medical issues which can be deadly or lead to permanent impairment if timely and appropriate treatment is not given. Dr Raut, who is also a member of WHO’s Roster of Snakebite Experts, demonstrated rapid assessment, timely antivenom dosing, and the avoidance of harmful first aid procedures during the training sessions and shared his experience of managing complex cases of snakebite envenoming. Dr Geetanjali Sachdeva,Director of ICMR-NIRRCH, Sawan Kumar, CEO, ZP, Nandurbar, Dr Kapil Aher, Deputy Director of Health Services, Nashik division and others played a crucial role for the intensive training programme

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Maharashtra should expedite proposal to declare snakebite a notifiable disease

The proposal to declare snakebite a notifiable disease in Maharashtra is currently under review by the Maharashtra Public Health Department. Experts have said that the proposal should be expedited to enhance surveillance, enable timely intervention, and ensure an effective public health response.

Dr. Gajbhiye has been a strong advocate for declaring snakebite a notifiable disease in India. In response to ongoing efforts, on November 27, 2024, the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, issued a letter to the health secretaries of all states and Union Territories, requesting that snakebite cases and deaths be made notifiable under the relevant provisions of the respective state public health acts. This directive mandates all government and private healthcare facilities to report snakebite cases and deaths.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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