The workshop was a forum for these departments such as Forest, Panchayat Raj, Education, Labour, Animal Husbandry and the police to define their roles and responsibilities to curb snake bite cases and prepare a comprehensive State Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snake Bite Envenoming (SAPSE).
Image for representation.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: The Department of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday held a workshop to discuss inter-departmental approaches to tackle snakebite cases and deaths across the state.
This is part of their Snake Bite Prevention and Control Programme (SBPC).
DH had reported in May that the Health department had initiated an action plan based on inter-departmental coordination to halve deaths and disabilities due to snakebites by 2030.
The workshop was a forum for these departments such as Forest, Panchayat Raj, Education, Labour, Animal Husbandry and the police to define their roles and responsibilities to curb cases and prepare a comprehensive State Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snake Bite Envenoming (SAPSE).
Guide to raise awareness
The SAPSE will serve as a guide to raise awareness and enforce preventive measures and timely care to minimise snakebite envenomation.
Following the preparation and submission of an action plan, the department aims to implement the programme by the next financial year.
The department has already taken up several measures, including declaring snakebites as a notifiable disease in February and mandating the reporting of all snakebite cases in both government and private healthcare facilities.
Karnataka is the only state to have notified snakebite cases and deaths.
Additionally, the Health department has conducted state-level and district-level training sessions for medical and paramedical, identify all district and taluk-level hospitals, along with a few Community Health Centres (CHCs), as snakebite treating centres, ensuring anti-snake venom supply to all healthcare facilities and provide free treatment for BPL card holders.
According to data shared by the department, the highest number of snakebites reported until June this year were from Hassan (419), Chikkaballapur (373), Davangere (369), Mandya (361) and Mysuru (339).
The most vulnerable age group is between 31 and 40 years. As of June, the state has recorded 5,418 snake bite cases and 36 deaths.