Karnataka sees sharp rise in snakebite incidents in 2024 with 13,235 cases, 101 deaths: Report
Bengaluru: Karnataka has witnessed an alarming increase in snakebite incidents and fatalities, with recorded cases rising from 6,596 and 19 deaths in 2023 to 13,235 cases and 101 deaths in 2024.
According to data from the state's Health Department, as cited by The Hindu, there have already been 415 snakebite cases and three deaths between January 1 and 18 this year.
As per data from the state’s Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal, as cited by the news outlet, Hassan recorded the highest number of snakebite cases in Karnataka in 2024, with 850 incidents, followed by Chickballapur and Mysuru, which reported 813 and 790 cases, respectively. The highest number of snakebite deaths occurred in Tumakuru, with nine fatalities, followed by Koppal and Kalaburagi, each reporting eight deaths, and Bagalkot and Shivamogga, which had six deaths each.
The state declared snakebite deaths and cases as notifiable under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020, in February 2024. As a result, the Health Department in the state mandated that all hospitals, including private facilities, and medical colleges enter all snakebite cases and deaths on the IHIP portal.
Ansar Ahmed, state Project Director of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, stated that making snakebites notifiable had led to better surveillance. “It has resulted in better monitoring, response, and mitigating the effects of snakebites, which have long posed a severe public health concern, especially in the tribal and rural areas,” Ahmed told The Hindu.
He also assured that the state has an adequate stock of anti-venom, with 60,000 vials available across health facilities, adding that it should ideally be administered within six hours of the bite.
Ahmed also mentioned that ANMs and ASHA workers have been trained in the proper handling of snakebite cases, ensuring that patients are quickly shifted to the nearest health facility for treatment. Furthermore, the doctor highlighted that they have intensified their public awareness, information, education, and communication campaign.
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Kejriwal arrives in Goa on 3-day visit; to oversee planning for 2027 polls
Panaji (PTI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal arrived in Goa on Wednesday on a three-day visit during which he will hold discussions on strategic planning and organisational strengthening ahead of the 2027 assembly elections in the coastal state.
The former Delhi CM landed at the Dabolim Airport in South Goa where he was received by local leaders, including party's state unit president Valmiki Naik.
"The visit marks strategic planning and organisational strengthening ahead of the 2027 Goa Assembly elections," said an AAP statement.
The party said Kejriwal will be at Shree Swami Samarth Pariwar Math in Siolim in North Goa on Thursday. He will also inaugurate a new 'Aamche Arogya Night Clinic' (health clinic) at Velim in South Goa.
The AAP said the convenor's visit reflects the party's growing focus on Goa and its commitment to expand the organisation at grassroots level in the BJP-ruled state, where polls are due in the first half of next year.
