India has the highest population in the world (1.4 billion). It also has a diverse distribution of snakes. Home to more than 300 species of snakes where 67 are from the venomous category. However only 16 species have reported human fatalities with the big four, namely the Spectacled Cobra, Common Krait, Russell’s viper and Saw scaled viper being responsible for maximum deaths and disabilities. A 2020 study puts the annual snakebite deaths in India to 58,000.

Culturally, there are many myths and dogmas around snakes and snakebites. Most rural families choose to indulge in faith healing. In such a scenario, the actual number of people dying without reporting to a hospital may be quite substantial.

The big four occur in the agricultural landscape close to human habitations. It is therefore imperative that the people living and working closer to the soil come in contact with the big four venomous snakes more frequently and get bitten.

Priyanka Kadam
President, Founder

Snakebite is a medical emergency and should be looked into with utmost seriousness by the Government of India. As per the constitution of India, right to life [article 21] and right to avail basic health care [article 41] are fundamental rights. It is also the duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health [article 47].

SHE-India aims at bringing together experts from varied fields to address this grossly neglected health issue. Our objective is to create awareness through regional language educational materials, train the various stakeholders using the “Snakebite Assistant” App, train medical professionals and health care workers and provide a platform for everyone working in the field to unite in a unified voice and motivate policy makers and bureaucrats to look at the burden with a fresh perspective. After all, our country’s working class living in the rural and semi urban areas are exposed to snakebites and it is this class of population that grows our food and also contributes to the GDP of the country.

Priyanka Kadam
President and Founder
Snakebite Healing and Education Society