Snakebite toll in India unacceptably high: Expert .......from the pages of HINDUSTAN TIMES

Panaji, May 29, 2005........ At least 50,000 Indians die every year from snakebites and yet, it remains a "forgotten medical issue", says a British expert who has come to Panaji to specifically study the problem. Ian D Simpson from London, who is based in Bangalore, said the number of Indian, who get attacked by snakes, was much more and that numerous cases, mainly in villages, never get reported. This, he said, was a matter of concern.

"The victims, who don't die, are often disabled by the tissue damage that Indian snakes can inflict. Limbs are lost or rendered useless. Many days of work are lost by agricultural workers," Simpson told the agency. Recently, experts announced a new deadly snake find - the hump-nosed pitviper (Hypnale hypnale), along the Western Ghats region on India's west coast. This snake is thought to be the fifth deadly snake in India, apart from the Big Four: cobra, krait, Russel's viper and saw-scaled viper.

Simpson, a member of the WHO Snakebite Treatment Group, said: "My role is to identify the major causes of snakebite mortality in India and try to find ways to reduce the impact. "As an expert on snakebite treatment, I am looking at carrying out a large number of research projects to answer some of the many unanswered questions in this area," he told the agency. "This is a major issue. Awareness is a key concern," he added.

Simpson travels across India talking to doctors, medical colleges, hospitals and schools to raise awareness and improve first aid and treatment. "I took on the task because India was originally responsible for my interest in snakes. "When I was a boy, my grandmother bought me 'Rikki Tikki Tavi' - a story of a mongoose protecting a family from two cobras. I loved snakes from that moment."

On his first visit to India some years ago, he said he became aware of the "level of suffering snakes can cause". "I was surprised to see that this was largely a forgotten medical issue. Doctors were battling to deal with snakebite and yet, there was much work that needed to be done to develop technologies that would improve treatment." In addition, vast costs of treatment are inflicted on those least able to afford that. A single vial of anti-snake venom (ASV) costs Rs 400. "The last victim I treated needed 30 vials. There is no way she could afford that cost."

Simpson argues that as humans encroach more into snake territories, the number of dangerous encounters will increase. "It is essential that we are ready and educated in how to interact with snakes. "I have been to many villages where a significant number of deaths have occurred and yet none has been reported," says Simpson. "Traditional remedies only delay the time in which the patient gets to hospital and therefore, put the patient at greater risk." He argued that the situation in India could well have been "the same" for the past 100 years. In his view, India has an opportunity to export anti-snake venom. However, Indian anti-snake venom has a "mixed reputation" for quality, and there has been a high level of allergic reactions to it. "If some of these quality questions could be resolved, there would be a major export opportunity," he adds.