Saving Lives of Snakopathy Victims During COVID-19 Pandemic without any Mortality: A Clinico-Epidemiological Study from Rural Maharashtra, India (2021)

Abstract

Background: Globally, between 81,000 and 138,000 people die each
year from snakebite, and up to 400,000 are left permanently disabled
or disfigured due to amputations of the bitten parts. India recorded a
staggering 1.2 million snakebite deaths in the 20 years from 2000 to
2019, with an average of 58,000 deaths caused by snakebite annually.
Objectives: To study the clinical profile of the snakebite cases reported
to the Vighnahar Nursing Home Clinic in Pune during the year 2021 and
the outcome among patients during COVID-19 pandemic.
Method: Details of the snakebite cases presented to the clinic were
extracted retrospectively from case records of the Vighnahar Nursing
Home Clinic in Pune for the year 2021 to study the pattern of morbidity
and mortality among the admitted cases.
Results: A total of 196 snakopathy cases presented to the clinic in 2021,
the majority of them (70 %, 137) were bitten by venomous snakes,
and 30% (59) were bitten by non-venomous snakes. Among venomous
snakebite patients, 71 were males and 66 females. 77 were bitten on the
hands and 59 on the legs. One bite by C. Krait was on the lateral side of
the neck. Among venomous snakes, the majority of patients were bitten
by Russell’s Vipers (RV), 67% (92) and 15 each by Spectacled Cobra (SC)
and Common Krait (CK), 11 by Green Pit Vipers (GPV) and only 4 by
Saw Scale Vipers (SSV). CK bites were mostly around midnight, while
other snakebites were early morning or early evening. A total of 1126
Anti-Snake Venom (ASV) Vials were used. Though there were only 4
SSV cases, the ASV vials used were highest per patient, i.e., 15.25 vials,
followed by SC, 13.5 vials, CK, 8.3 vials, and least for RV, 8.03 vials. No
ASV was given to GPV patients as it does not work. Out of the total,
20% were children below 20 years bitten by venomous snakes, and 24%
were bitten by non- venomous snakes. No deaths were observed due
to the meticulous clinical handling of all snakopathy patients to fulfill
the objective of “Mission Zero Snakebite Death” (MZSD).

How to cite this article:
Raut S S, Raut S, Raut P, Bharti O K. Saving Lives of
Snakopathy Victims During COVID-19 Pandemic
without any Mortality: A Clinico-Epidemiological
Study from Rural Maharashtra, India (2021). Int
J Preven Curat Comm Med. 2025;11(1):10-16.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2454.325X.202503