There has been an increase in the number of patients being treated for snakebite at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in November. Out of a total 99 patients who were treated for snakebite at GRH in November, there was one death.
The increase in cases can be attributed to the rise in man-snake conflict during the monsoon.
Dean J. Sangumani says that most of the cases were reported from rural areas and were either farmers or agricultural labourers.
Since the onset of monsoon, there was a rise in calls received by the forest department to rescue snakes, says District Forest Officer S. Anand.
“In a single day, a maximum of eight snakes have been rescued by the forest department officials with the help of volunteers during this monsoon," he says.
After a snakebite, a patient must rush to the hospital as soon as possible, says M. Natarajan, Head of the Department of Medicine, GRH.
“The most important aspect is timely treatment of snakebite cases. The delay in diagnosis and treatment can lead to physical disability or death,” he adds.
However, the data from GRH shows that only 22 out of the total patients treated in November reached the hospital within four hours after a snakebite. A total of eight persons reached the GRH only after 24 hours.
Many people in rural areas still tend to believe in myths and opt for unwarranted practices to treat snakebite, says P.R. Vishwanath of Oorvanam, a non-governmental organisation involved in snake rescue.
“They do not reach a hospital unless the symptoms worsen,” he adds.
Most of the snakebite victims are people from lower economic groups. “If a member of the family is affected by snakebite, then it can cause severe financial crisis to the entire family,” he adds.
Dr. Sangumani says that after a snakebite the patient can undergo first aid at Primary Health Centres (PHC) and then rush to GRH.
Although Anti-Snake Venom (ASV) shots are available at PHCs, in most cases the patients are asked to rush to tertiary health care centres, says Sakthivel Vaiyapuri, Associate Professor at School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, the United Kingdom, who campaigned for over a year across the State to create awareness of snakebite.
As most PHCs don’t treat snakebite cases on time, patients take a long time to reach tertiary health centre, which worsens their symptoms, he says.
Since private hospitals charge a hefty sum for treating snakebite, many poor parents cannot afford them, he added.
