Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has officially declared snakebite a notifiable disease, making it mandatory for all government and private hospitals to report snakebite cases. This step aims to support comprehensive prevention and treatment strategies, such as strengthening clinical infrastructure and ensuring the adequate allocation of anti-snake venom to reduce fatalities.

Under the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act of 1939, this directive was formalized through a Government Order issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department on November 4, followed by a Gazette Notification on November 6, according to an official release on Friday.

“Snakebite envenomation is an acute, life-threatening condition,” the release emphasized. “It is a preventable public health challenge, particularly affecting rural communities in tropical and subtropical regions.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a global strategy to reduce deaths and disabilities from snakebites, while the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE) aims to halve snakebite deaths by 2030 through an integrated health approach.

“Snakebites cause high morbidity and mortality, with agricultural workers, children, and residents of snake-endemic areas especially vulnerable,” the release added.

(Except for the  headline, the article has not been edited by Republic World staff)