ANTIVENOM THERAPY

Dec. 7, 2019

A new study by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore has revealed that commercially available antivenom in India can be ineffective in treating bites from some snakes that are poorly studied. The findings were published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Key findings of the study:

India is the snakebite capital of the world. Annually, about 46,000 people die and 1,40,000 others are disabled in the country because of snakebites.
In India, a polyvalent antivenom is produced against the so-called ‘big four’ snakes: the spectacled cobra, the common krait, Russell’s viper, and the saw-scaled viper.”
However, India is home to many other species of venomous snakes. But specific antivenom is not produced to combat the poison of other snakes, and the ‘big four’ antivenom is routinely used to treat bites from all snakes.

Source : The Hindu