Qamar Cheema has further added that India has increased its focus on purchasing weapons from France, Russia, Australia, and other countries. New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented the Union Budget. Modi government has allocated Rs 7.85 lakh crore for defence
Political tensions escalate in Andhra Pradesh as former minister Jogi Ramesh's house faces vandalism and arson. This follows an alleged attack on another former minister, Ambati Rambabu. YSRCP leaders blame Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for lawlessness. Naidu, however
Sleep loss is no longer just about feeling tired; new research shows it is physically altering brain wiring, weakening memory, slowing signals and quietly reshaping how the brain functions every day. Sleep deprivation has been blamed for poor focus and sluggish reaction times for years
The chairman of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games has said he "deeply regrets" decades-old flirty emails with Ghislaine Maxwell - the jailed associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Casey Wasserman's messages to Maxwell, sent in 2003
Donald Trump's next move on Iran remains unclear, with the US President expressing hopes of a deal, while keeping military options on the table. Hours after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of a "regional war" in the Middle East if provoked by the US
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has insisted the US tech giant will make a "huge" investment in OpenAI and dismissed as "nonsense" reports that he is unhappy with the generative AI star. Budget 2026 Live Your 2-minute guide to becoming a Budget pro Check what gets cheaper and costlier in Budget
One interesting thing about the Budget is that people usually do not do a reality check vis-a-vis the previous Budget because the current one takes centre stage. Since Budget 2026-27 is quite run of the mill, it will not be out of place to start with the last Budget
Suryakumar is the fastest batter in the world to score 3000 runs in T20Is in terms of balls taken. He scored his 3000th T20I run on the 1822nd ball. India‘s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was on fire against New Zealand in the fifth T20I
India's snakebite crisis is killing tens of thousands every year
Devendra, who was a farmer in India, still remembers the moment a snake sank its fangs into his leg while he was picking mulberry leaves.
"I went to the hospital four days after I was bitten, when the pain became unbearable. But the delay cost me my leg," he says in a short film released by Global Snakebite Taskforce (GST), an initiative working to reduce deaths and injuries by snakebites.
But Devendra is still among the lucky few to have survived. According to the federal government, around 50,000 Indians are killed by snakebites each year - roughly half of all deaths worldwide. Some estimates suggest the toll could be even higher: between 2000 and 2019, India may have seen as many as 1.2 million deaths, an average of 58,000 per year, a 2020 study said.
Now, a new report by GST has found that 99% of healthcare workers in India face challenges administering antivenom - the life-saving antibodies that neutralise toxins in venom. Researchers surveyed 904 medical professionals across India, Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria, the countries most affected by snakebites, and found similar barriers: poor infrastructure, limited access to antivenom and insufficient training.
Nearly half of the professionals reported that delays in treatment had led to serious complications in their patients, including amputations, surgeries or lifelong mobility problems.
In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally listed snakebite envenoming or poisoning as a "highest priority neglected tropical disease" because of the high number of deaths caused by it. According to WHO, an estimated 5.4 million people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year and more than 100,000 die from annually.
It also states that snakebites disproportionately affect poor rural communities in low and middle-income countries.
In India, a high concentration of snakebite deaths and injuries are reported in the central and eastern regions, says Dr Yogesh Jain, a GST member and a practitioner in the central Chhattisgarh state. He adds that people working in farms, including those from poor tribal communities, remain most vulnerable.
In 2024, India launched the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE) with an aim to halve snakebite deaths by 2030. The plan focuses on better surveillance, improved antivenom availability and research, enhanced medical capacity and public awareness campaigns.
Experts agree it is a step in the right direction, but implementation has been inconsistent.
In India, snakebites are seen as a poor person's problem," Jain says. "That's why there isn't enough outrage or action over these completely avoidable deaths. When it comes to treating snakebites, every second counts.
He explains that snake venom enters the bloodstream within minutes, attacking nerves, cells, or the circulatory system depending on the species. Delays in antivenom administration can result in respiratory failure, paralysis, irreversible tissue damage, or organ failure.
Yet, delays in hospitalisation are common in rural India where bad roads, far-flung hospitals and a dearth of ambulance services prevent timely treatment.
Last September, a pregnant woman in Gujarat state reportedly died on the way to a hospital after her family had to carry her in a cloth sling for 5km (3 miles) because no vehicle could reach their hamlet.
Jain says that some states are trying to improve access by stocking antivenom in primary and community health centres. But administering it correctly remains a major challenge.
Many health workers are not trained professionals and fear giving antivenom because patients can sometimes develop adverse reactions.
"The antivenom is mixed with saline and injected intravenously over an hour, but many centres aren't equipped to manage the side-effects," Jain says.
Another problem, he adds, is that many people in rural India still rely on faith healers or local medicinal practices and go to hospitals only when their symptoms worsen, which can be lethal.
Gerry Martin, co-founder of The Liana Trust, which works to reduce human-snake conflict in Karnataka state, says another major hurdle is the availability of high-quality antivenom.
Currently, India has antivenom that only protects against the "big four" snakes - the spectacled cobra, common krait, Russell's viper and the saw-scaled viper - which are believed to be responsible for a majority of the bites. The antivenom is produced by injecting venom from these snakes into horses, whose antibodies are then used as treatment for humans, Martin explains.
But there are dozens of other poisonous snake species for which India does not have targeted antivenom. These include the green pit viper commonly found in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, the Malabar pit viper and hump-nosed pit viper found in southern states and many other species in the north-eastern states.
A study by Aiims (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, last year highlighted the problem. It found that when antivenom used to treat bites by saw-scaled vipers was administered to 105 snake bite patients (where the species remained unknown), two-thirds did not respond well to treatment.
The study concluded that there was an urgent need for "region-specific antivenom in western India".
For the past five years, The Liana Trust has been studying venoms from species beyond the big four to develop antidotes to them. But progress has been slow, Martin says, because the process is labour-intensive and time-consuming.
He called on states to emulate the 2024 order from the government of the southern state of Karnataka which made snakebites "a notifiable disease" - making it compulsory for health professionals to report it to the authorities - to combat under-reporting.
Jain agrees. "Snakebite deaths start where political will ends," he says.
Governments should ensure that poor people don't get poor health systems. They deserve better.
Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Source: BBC
Related Posts: Trump says India will buy oil from Venezuela instead of Iran India’s $5T economy push IAF airlifts 85-year-old paralysed woman as snowfall blocks Himachal roads Pakistan says it will boycott match against India Arizona Cardinals hire Mike LaFleur as head coach on five-year deal Date, time, when and where to watch LIVE streaming in India Pak to boycott India T20 WC 2026 India’s defence budget 2026-27 vs China & Pakistan – who really has the edge India lifts tax weight to build tech muscle Is Carrick proving Amorim's Man Utd tenure was a wasted year
The government on Sunday raised the limit for passengers bringing duty-free imported goods into India from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 under the newly-notified Baggage Rules, 2026. The rules, which will come into effect from Monday, allow a passenger duty-free clearance of goods worth up to Rs 75
2 minutes ago
Pakistan will take part in this month's men's T20 World Cup - but will not play their scheduled match against tournament co-hosts India. The country had been considering boycotting the competition after Bangladesh withdrew citing safety fears over travelling to India
2 minutes ago
The sports goods manufacturing sector emerged as a major beneficiary with a first-time allocation of ₹500 crore as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports' allocation was hiked by over ₹1000 crore in the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here on Sunday
2 minutes ago
Aishwarya Rajesh kickstarted her career as a TV host in a comedy show called Asatha Povathu Yaaru? New Delhi: Popular south Indian actress Aishwarya Rajesh recently recalled a horrifying past incident where a photographer made her feel 'uncomfortable'
2 minutes ago
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will focus on state politics for the next five years. He stated his commitment to Assam's development and ensuring no infiltrators remain. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also emphasised this goal. Sarma expressed confidence in the BJP securing a third
2 minutes ago
![Tokyo [Japan], February 2 (ANI): A political debate has intensified in Japan over the prime minister's “exclusive prerogative](http://newsorbit360.com/files/news/en/imgs/japan-snap-election-sparks-debate-over-pm-takaichi-s-dissolution-power.webp?height=520)
Tokyo [Japan], February 2 (ANI): A political debate has intensified in Japan over the prime minister's “exclusive prerogative" to dissolve the House of Representatives after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently exercised the authority
2 minutes ago
Freshly released emails have revealed that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared photographs of his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein several years after the latter's 2008 conviction. According to a report by The Sun
2 minutes ago
The 68th Grammy Awards are taking place in Los Angeles. We'll be updating this list of the winners as the night progresses. You may need to refresh the page to see the latest updates. Best score soundtrack for visual media (includes film and televison)The 68th Grammy Awards are taking place in Los
2 minutes ago
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Sunday (February 1, 2026) that recent anti-government protests that saw killings and vandalism were akin to "a coup". "They [rioters] attacked the police, government centres, IRGC centres, banks, and mosques, and burned the Koran
2 minutes ago
The Pakistan government granted the team conditional approval to take part in the tournament. Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif believes Pakistan's firm stance could now trigger a fresh phase of negotiations after neighbouring nation decided not to play India in their scheduled Men's T20 World
2 minutes ago
Budget 2026: India has halved the development assistance for Bangladesh to ₹60 crore in the Union Budget 2026 amid frosty bilateral ties between the two neighbouring nations. Bhutan remains the largest recipient of India's aid with the largest share - ₹2,288 crore - as development aid
2 minutes ago
This route is also vital for the Asian markets. Over 80% of the oil and LNG transported through this strategic chokepoint goes in Asian markets. Major economies such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea depend heavily on this critical chokepoint
2 minutes ago
JEE Main 2026: The National Testing Agency (NTA) will release the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result booklet on February 4. As per the schedule, the JEE Main Session 1 result will be declared by February 12, 2026. Candidates who appeared for the exam will be able to check their results on the official
2 minutes ago
The story so far: An ambitious ₹18,100 crore scheme to facilitate the manufacture of advanced chemistry cell batteries in India, particularly for Electric Vehicles (EVs), is floundering. The Advanced Chemistry Cell Production Linked Incentive (ACC PLI) had a target of making battery cells
2 minutes ago
Over 200 people died in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rescue efforts are underway, Over 200 people have been killed in a devastating collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As per the reports
2 minutes ago
A five-year-old boy and his father who were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota have returned home, a congressman has said. Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, announced on Sunday that Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias were
2 minutes ago
The next round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations will take place on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) and Thursday (February 5, 2026), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday (February 1, 2026). Envoys from Russia, Ukraine and the U.S
2 minutes ago
The Tejas fighter jet was designed to be India's homegrown warplane. But critical components now rely heavily on Israeli technology, even though the DRDO has already developed fully operational indigenous radar and electronic warfare systems. New Delhi: India's Light Combat Aircraft, the Tejas Mk1A
2 minutes ago
In the Union Budget 2026-27, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the cornerstone of the Centre's infrastructure and connectivity roadmap. Far from a mere exercise in populist spending, the budget presents a calculated, long-term blueprint that positions the state as a multimodal logistics and cultural hub
2 minutes ago
The new penalty provisions are proposed to come into effect from April 1, 2026. New Delhi: The Union Budget 2026–27 on Sunday proposed a new penalty framework to strengthen reporting compliance in the crypto ecosystem, sending a clear signal that transparency and accountability will be the
2 minutes ago
A layer of dense fog blanketed parts of Delhi early Monday morning, 2 February. Visuals from Mahipalpur, near IGI Airport, showed very low visibility due to fog in the area. As per IMD, the area experienced ‘Moderate Fog' on Monday. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the area was recorded at
2 minutes ago
Buy or sell stocks: Indian stock markets staged a measured rebound on Monday after witnessing their sharpest Budget-day fall in six years during Sunday's special trading session. The Nifty 50 and Sensex recovered nearly 0.4% in early trade on February 2
2 minutes ago
Deepika Padukone was recently clicked stepping out in the city, and her understated style once again proved why she remains a fashion favourite. The actress was papped on the night of January 30 as she made her way out of her car, looking calm, radiant and effortlessly elegant
2 minutes ago
American allies in the Persian Gulf have cautioned Washington that Iran's missile capabilities pose "a serious threat" to US interests in West Asia, even as regional partners intensify diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider conflict with potentially devastating consequences
2 minutes ago
Two Nipah virus cases in India's West Bengal have triggered heightened airport screening across Asia, as countries move to prevent cross-border spread during peak holiday travel. While the virus is deadly, health officials say the outbreak is contained, human-to-human transmission is limited
2 minutes ago
Lord Mandelson says he has resigned his membership of the Labour Party as he does not want to "cause further embarrassment" by his links to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The former cabinet minister, who was sacked as US ambassador last year because of his past connections to
2 minutes ago
Devendra, who was a farmer in India, still remembers the moment a snake sank its fangs into his leg while he was picking mulberry leaves. "I went to the hospital four days after I was bitten, when the pain became unbearable. But the delay cost me my leg
2 minutes ago
