A boon to Odisha’s snakebite victims

As part of COVID-19 response, more ventilators are now available at district levels

27/04/2020, SATYASUNDAR BARIK,BHUBANESWAR

Many fronts: The Odisha government has made available 5,486 beds in 34 COVID-19 dedicated hospitals.PTI

The Odisha government’s move to add ventilator facilities to treat COVID-19 patients is likely to provide a much-needed help for another serious health threat — snakebite.

Once the coronavirus scare recedes, the ventilators will prove a key life-saving asset for hundreds of people in the State who die due to snakebites every year. Snakebites have claimed 3,565 lives in Odisha in the past five years. In 2019-20 alone, as many as 723 persons died from snakebites. The year 2018-19 had worse numbers with 913 snakebite deaths.

According to Pratyush Mohapatra, a scientist with Zoological Survey of India, toxin injected during snakebite affects the nervous system and the bite becomes fatal especially in the case of bites by the common krait in which no local symptoms are detected.

“If not treated immediately, victims may die from respiratory failure. It is often found that absence of ventilator facility in district level government health institutions increases chances of fatality in snakebites,” said Dr. Mohapatra.

Although snakebite was declared as a State-specific disaster in 2015, health infrastructure was not upgraded to deal with the threat.

“Acute neuromuscular paralysis, a type of neurotoxicity, is caused due to bite of cobras and kraits. Mechanical ventilation, intensive care and anti-venom treatment with prolonged hospital stays are key to snakebite treatment,” said the ZSI scientist.

Despite recording high snakebite deaths, the government had never added ventilator facilities as well as manpower trained in handling ventilators in government health centres below the sub-divisional level hospitals.

Now, as part COVID-19 pandemic response, the State government has ramped up ventilator facilities in government healthcare institutions.

“Prior to COVID-19 pandemic, we had 297 ventilators available in the State. Now, we have already added 57 while ventilator facilities have significantly improved in private sector,” said Bijay Mohapatra, State Director of Health Service.

During past one month, the government has made available 5,486 beds in 34 COVID-19 only hospitals. As many as 352 ICU beds are available. Many of these ICUs have ventilator facilities.

As the monsoon is approaching, people in rural areas will become more vulnerable to snakebite.