Kerala HC issues directions to address issue of snakebite cases, deaths in schools

Kochi, Sep 26 (PTI) The Kerala High Court on Friday issued a slew of directions, including making snakebite cases a notifiable disease and developing more antivenoms, to address the issue of snakebites in schools.

The directions by a division bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Shoba Annamma Eapen came while disposing of two petitions highlighting the lack of medical care required for urgent treatment of child victims of snakebite in Kerala.

The petitions were filed in the wake of a 5th standard schoolgirl's death due to snakebite at a government school in Wayanad district's Sulthan Bathery on November 20, 2019.

Prior to issuing the directions, the bench observed that there was no comprehensive policy to co-ordinate the role of different departments to address the issue of snakebites in schools.

It also noted many states in India have declared snakebite envenoming as a notifiable disease, making it mandatory to report cases, as without reliable data, policy interventions remain ad hoc.

"However, in the State of Kerala, snakebite envenoming has not yet been declared a notifiable disease. A significant number of snakebite cases in Kerala are of the Hump-nosed Pit Viper, for which no specific antivenom is available," the court said.

The bench said that during the pendency of the pleas, the state government in September this year formulated safety guidelines for schools that also provided instructions on dealing with snakebites.

It directed the state government to issue a circular within two weeks notifying the guidelines on the implementation of safety instructions regarding snakebites in schools across Kerala.

The court also directed the government to ensure the guidelines get adequate publicity and issue necessary instructions to the departments and agencies involved in implementing them, specifying the roles to be performed by them.

It said that till the government puts in place a framework for updating and overseeing the activities pursuant to the guidelines, a joint committee shall be formed for reviewing and updating the norms and monitoring the steps to be taken.

Besides these, the court directed the state government to expedite its efforts, in coordination with concerned agencies for development of antivenom vaccines for all kinds of poisonous snakes found in the state.

Additionally, the court also directed the state government to take steps to make snakebite cases and deaths a notifiable disease under the Kerala Public Health Act, 2023, as instructed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in November last year, within two months. PTI HMP HMP KH