Why experts are working on an anti snake venom designed for Northeast

Guwahati: Snakebite in India is a severe problem as it causes a mortality rate of 58,000 and a disability rate of 140,000 every year which is the highest among any other country. Antivenom is the primary therapy for snakebite, and its manufacturing techniques have essentially stayed unaltered for over a century.

Indian polyvalent antivenom, a scientifically validated medicine for treating the toxic effects of snakebites, is available only against the venom of the so-called Big Four snakes namely Spectacled cobra (Naja naja), Saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus), Russell’s viper (Daboia russelli) and the Common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), responsible for majority of the deaths in India.

Scientific institutions have now joined hands for making an improved Anti Snake Venom(ASV) which can treat snakebite cases in Northeast India.