Tamil Nadu declares snake bite a notifiable disease for improved prevention, treatment
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has declared snake bites a notifiable disease, mandating that all government and private hospitals report cases to support targeted prevention and treatment initiatives.
This new regulation, under the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939, aims to address snake bite incidents more effectively by enhancing medical infrastructure and ensuring the availability of anti-snake venom across the state. The Health and Family Welfare Department issued the relevant Government Order (GO) on November 4, with a formal Gazette Notification published on November 6.
In its official statement, the government highlighted the urgent public health risk posed by snake bite envenomation, a condition that affects rural populations in tropical and subtropical regions, especially agricultural workers, children, and people in snake-prone areas. With guidance from the World Health Organization's global strategy to reduce snake bite-related deaths and disabilities, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s National Action Plan aims to halve snake bite fatalities by 2030.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two more infants die, toll in Jhansi medical college fire rises to 17
Jhansi (UP) (PTI): Two more infants rescued from a fire that ripped through the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College here have died, taking the total toll in the blaze to 17, a senior official said on Sunday.
Thirty-nine newborns were rescued from a devastating fire in the medical college hospital's neonatal intensive care unit on the night of November 15.
Dr Narendra Singh Sengar, the medical college's principal, told PTI that of the 39 infants rescued, two more died on Saturday.
While 10 babies died on the night of the fire, the remainder succumbed to their "illnesses", he said.
A post-mortem of the two bodies was done on Saturday and the cause of death was confirmed as "illness" in both cases. The bodies have been handed over to the family members, Sengar said.
The birth weight of both infants was 800 grams and one of them also had a hole in the heart, he added.
Meanwhile, Congress sources said on Sunday that the party's state chief Ajay Rai and Barabanki MP Tanuj Punia would travel to Jhansi and visit the medical college. They will also meet the families whose babies died in the fire.
