Snakebite is a global health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. Understanding awareness and perceptions in risk populations on the preventive measures, first aid and treatment for snakebite becomes pivotal in designing snakebite prevention and control programs.
Snakes play an integral role in maintaining balance in the ecosystem. Very few snakes are aggressive, and most snakes will avoid humans. Snakes only attack in self-defense, so people should not attempt to interact with these animals in the wild. If someone comes into contact with a snake, they should back away slowly, giving the snake enough space to retreat. Snakes crawl looking for any substance which is radiating heat and land up buying people sleeping on the floor.
Nepal in certain parts still has a very bad practice of making menstruating girls and Women sleep outside the house in a separate shade on the floor and has many cases of these people becoming victims of snake bite. Poor people have no cots and die on floors due to snake bites. Prevention and awareness campaigns have to be supported by supplying them with resources like cots and mosquito nets.
Unless the important knowledge gaps in the social epidemiology of snakebites are filled and permanent snakebite prevention programs established, chances of changing practices towards minimizing snakebite appear slim in Nepal.
The snakebite program can be sustained if the participants learn to collaborate with other stakeholders who need resources sharing. The program should be able to provide indicators one such indicator could be how many such bites have been averted per year? The vulnerable groups are poor people. The NGOs, INGOs working in these areas lack funds. Working in silos doesn't make a program sustainable. Rotary clubs should work in collaboration with NGOs and INGOs running programs like prevention and awareness championing of mentally disabled people to grass root programs for grass root people through resources sharing. Co-created digital systems would be very good supporting tools to reach out to the mass.