Health dept mulls production of anti-venom drugs in state as snakebite deaths rise

Kolkata: The number of deaths due to snakebite has been on the rise, as the anti-venom drugs are not being produced in Bengal since 2016.

Anup Ghosh, a member of Paschim Banga Bigyan Mancha, had died recently after being bitten by a chandrabora (Russell's viper). It was found that the anti-venom drug which was administered to the victim did not work.

According to the experts, the anti-venom drugs do not work in the case of victims bitten by chandrabora.

These drugs are mostly brought in from other state as no

proper anti-venom drugs

are produced here in the state from 2016.

Bengal Chemicals used to produce anti-venom drugs in the state till 2009, following which the venoms which were collected from the snakes in the state were mostly sent to other state for preparing drugs. Bengal had to mostly procure the anti-venom drugs from outside.

The anti-venom drugs which are procured from outside are effective in cases of victims bitten by snakes other than chandrabora.

Following the death of Ghosh, the state Health department is also contemplating various options to see if there is a possibility to prepare anti-venom drugs in the state. Various experts on snakes are being consulted in this regard.

The Paschim Banga Bigyan Mancha members often help the villagers to catch snakes and later hand them over to the Forest department.

They also spread awareness among the villagers about snakes and how the snakebite victims can be given initial treatment.

It is often alleged that anti-venom injections are not always available in the primary health centres situated in the rural parts of various districts, as a result of which the number of deaths caused by venomous snakes is going up.

According to sources, some primary and rural health centres in the districts often run dry of their stocks of anti-venom drugs, as a result of which patients suffering from snakebite have to be transferred to the district hospitals, risking their lives.

There is always a medical emergency if the snakebite is poisonous. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has given a detailed guideline in this regard, mandating the list of essential medicines at any primary healthcare package, where snakebites occur frequently.