Snakes are an important part of Nepali religion and culture. The Hindus of
southern Nepal associate Nag, the king of snakes, with the provision of adequate
rain for their crops. In mid-monsoon (July/August) Nepalis celebrate Nagpanchami,
the snake festival in which certain devotions are performed, and offerings of
milk and money made, not just to assure the monsoon but also to avoid snakebite.
Snakebite is a constant fear for the farmers of Nepal, particularly during the
monsoon when the rains flood the reptiles' dens and force the snakes to find
refuge - often in the farmers' rice fields or even their homes!
To date, seventy-seven species of snakes have been identified in Nepal,
twenty-one of them venomous. Three species of cobras, five species of kraits,
as well as coral snakes, all with powerful neurotoxins, are the common snakes of
the family elapidae, while twelve species of vipers and pit vipers
represent the family viperidae. Because of the tropical climate and rural
nature of much of southern Nepal, snakebite is very common. WHO has estimated
that there are over 20,000 snakebites each year in Nepal, one thousand of them
fatal. Unfortunately, transportation and medical facilities are grossly
inadequate. Most victims of snakebite seek assistance first from faith healers
and death frequently occurs before the victim is brought to a hospital. For
more information on snakes and snakebite in Nepal, see
Snakes and Snake
Bite in Nepal, an article by Sanjib K Sharma, MD, Associate Professor,
Department of Medicine, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
Snakebite is a major but neglected public health problem in southern Nepal.
Insufficient studies have been conducted to date concerning snakebite management
in Nepalese hospitals. There is a need to provide accurate records of mortality
and morbidity in venomous snakebite in relation to types of snake, time taken to
arrive at hospital, and practice of treating before arrival in the hospital.
Tribhuvan University
and Bharatpur Hospital will, with the support of the America Nepal Medical
Foundation, undertake a field study to develop the information needed to improve
the management of snakebites. A recent ANMF study conducted by Dr. Deb Prasad Pandey
has been supported by ANMF (see
Snakebite Management).
Snakebite is a major public health problem in Nepal where most trained health workers are urban based but snakebites are rare. Most rural snakebite victims do not seek formal hospitalization but are treated by traditional healers. Parasitological Research & Socio-Environmental Development, Nepal (PARASED) will, with the support of ANMF, undertake a snakebite first aid training program in the Terai to improve the snakebite treatment system and to reduce the mortality rate of snakebite victims. The purpose of this project is to :
- To discourage people from dependency on traditional healers
- To train farmers, students and traditional healers in first-aid for snakebite
- To make people aware of safety around venomous snakes
See the latest report on this project reporting on successful training programs in four areas of Madi in southern Nepal.
For more information about this project, including the most recent status reports, see Snakebite First Aid Training or contact ANMF.
*Images of snakes are from Wikipedia.
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