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Tuesday, March 31, 2026
TopicSnakebite

Topic: Snakebite

Green mamba bites are different from other snakes in the genus. They don’t shut down muscles

A green mamba bite is much more difficult to treat. Most available antivenoms do not target spastic paralysis—a tightening of muscles due to a loss of control signals from the brain.

India is world’s snakebite capital. More states should follow Karnataka model

Lack of awareness among the medical community, an outdated syllabus, and systemic neglect contribute to India’s snakebite crisis. And people from rural regions pay the cost.

Snakebites kill more Indians than malaria, dengue. Blame the urban-rural divide

Snakebites in India are mostly brushed away as a rural, poor-people problem. While the numbers are staggering, the bigger story is wrapped up in mythology, superstition, and abysmal public health infrastructure.

Madhya Pradesh spent Rs 231 crore on snakebite death compensation in 2020-22 — first-of-its-kind study

Published in Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene journal, the study is the first to use govt records of snakebite death compensations in the state.

How to tackle India’s snakebite problem — go beyond ‘big 4’, overhaul 100-year-old protocol

Snakebites in India considered a ‘poor man’s problem’ with little investment in their prevention & treatment. Experts flag need to improve medical infra & focus on community awareness.

Elvish case puts spotlight on snake venom — science behind the bite & the high that follows

Snake venom is a toxin that can cause paralysis, kidney failure, disability, even death. According to researchers, many use it as substitute for opioid use & alcohol dependency.

India accounts for more than 80% of deaths caused by snakebites globally, study finds

Over 63,000 people died of snakebite in 2019, according to global study published in Nature Communications. Death rate substantially reduced since 2008, but far short of WHO goal.

Snakebites aren’t just lethal. In rural India, it means debts of lakhs to victims, families

Survivors of snakebites, their families have to cope with debilitating physical disabilities, a lifetime of dependency and compounding medical bills.

Snake antivenom in India ineffective in treating bites from most species, study finds

The study was conducted by scientists at IISc's Evolutionary Venomics Lab along with herpetologists Gerard Martin and Romulus Whitaker.

Why thousands of Indians continue to die of snakebites

The World Health Organisation says snakebites kill 47,000 people a year in India, which is home to over 270 species of which 60 are venomous. 

On Camera

How West Asia crisis can play out for PM Modi and BJP in Assembly polls

While the Russia-Ukraine war saw the BJP projecting PM Modi as a ‘vishwaguru’ who could end international conflicts, the party has made a nuanced shift in its electoral strategy vis-à-vis the West Asia war.

Foreign investors dump record $12 bn India stocks in March on war

Soaring energy costs have hurt oil-importing Asian peers, but the scale of outflows from India points to already bearish global sentiment.

India developing lethal autonomous weapon systems, database of citizens’ crime risk—House Panel report

Report on impact of AI emergence—drawing upon depositions from several ministries—confirms that the developments come in the absence of AI laws or considerations over them.

Gulf war exposed India’s fragilities. It’s time for navel-gazing, in the national interest

It’s easy to understand why the government can’t speak the hard truth. When this war ends, as all wars do, India’s interests will lie with both the winner and the loser.