Snakebite is an important medical emergency and occupational hazard in the rural tropics especially India where agriculture is a major source of employment.

      India has the highest number of deaths due to snakebites with 81,000 envenomations and 11,000 deaths every year ; although the actual incidence may be much higher as many cases go unreported in villages. Despite the high mortality, snakebite remains a neglected public health problem.

      The case fatality rate in India varies from 1.7-20%.  The wide variation could be due to non-availability of medical facilities in remote rural areas compelling many victims to resort to primitive traditional methods of treatment. Quick recognition and treatment with anti snake venom (ASV) is essential in order to restore coagulation and reverse other signs of systemic envenomation and thus avoid severe morbidity and mortality. However a review of current literature shows a lack of monitoring of morbidity related to snakebite envenomation in India. This is unfortunate as most of the snakebite victims are in the economically productive age group and thus the economic impact of the disability is likely to be high.

      The goal in treatment of snakebite envenomation should be to prevent or reduce all grades of injury, not just those that are life threatening. The first step in this direction would be to estimate the morbidity produced by snakebite envenomation so that effective steps may be taken in the treatment.