Overview
- Karnataka became the first state to publish a comprehensive snakebite action plan, aligning with NAPSE to cut deaths and disabilities by 50% by 2030.
- Officials reported 6,596 snakebite cases and 19 deaths in 2023, 13,235 and 100 in 2024, and 16,805 and 154 in 2025, attributing the rise to mandatory notifiable reporting.
- The rabies plan mandates ARV and RIG at all public facilities, ensures ASV supply and designated snakebite treatment centers, and provides free care in government hospitals.
- Private hospitals have been ordered to maintain stocks and deliver immediate life‑saving treatment without demanding advance payment.
- Implementation includes state‑ and district‑level monitoring committees, a One Health approach with multiple departments and NGOs, a Rabies‑Free Cities Initiative in 11 urban centers, and a regional rabies laboratory being set up in Haveri.