New protocol to deal with snake bites to be adopted

Delhi: India is to adopt a national strategy to deal with snake bites, which kill 50,000 people a year, and debunk the superstitions that many rely on for "cure".

Ian Simpson, a British herpetologist working with the World Health Organisation, has pioneered the national snake bite protocol, which he says could cut deaths to "a few thousand per annum".

India has some of the most venomous snakes in the world, including cobras, kraits and the highly aggressive Russell's viper, which accounts for more than 20,000 deaths a year.

The protocol, which the WHO expects to be ratified by the government this year, aims to debunk many of the village superstitions employed by quacks.

Among the most common "cures", founded on the belief that peacocks have power over snakes, is the practice of tying the feather of a morepunkhi, or peacock, to the affected limb.

Simpson said that many such "cures" appeared to be effective, as only a relatively few bites were poisonous.

"Of 100 snake bites, about 70 will be from non-venomous varieties," he said. "Of the remaining 30 bites, half are dry bites when the snake does not inject sufficient venom to be toxic. This means that 85 per cent of those bitten have nothing to worry about but it also means that the village quack can claim success in a high proportion of cases."

The WHO also hopes that the protocol will help to improve the skills of local doctors, who are often reluctant to administer anti-venoms.