SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir recorded a sharp decline in snakebite deaths during 2025 even though more than 1,100 people were bitten by snakes, according to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The figures, presented in response to Rajya Sabha Question, show that the Union Territory reported 1,165 snakebite cases and eight deaths in 2025, compared with 1,239 cases and 18 deaths in 2024. In 2023, Jammu and Kashmir had reported 969 snakebite cases and 13 deaths. While the number of reported snakebite incidents increased between 2023 and 2024 before falling marginally in 2025, fatalities dropped by more than half over the last year.
The data, compiled under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme-Integrated Health Information Platform (IDSP-IHIP), forms part of the Centre’s assessment of snakebite incidence across the country.
Replying to the question, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav said the Union Government is implementing the Programme for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming in all States and Union Territories under the National Health Mission. The programme aims to improve prevention, surveillance, treatment and public awareness while reducing snakebite deaths in line with the global target of halving fatalities by 2030.
The Minister said polyvalent Anti-Snake Venom (ASV) has been included in both the National and State Essential Drug Lists to ensure that it remains affordable and available across the public health system. States and Union Territories are permitted to procure anti-snake venom using funds available under the National Free Drug Initiative of the National Health Mission.
The Ministry also stated that snakebite treatment has been integrated into the Health System Strengthening component of the National Health Mission, under which financial and technical assistance is provided for emergency medicines, medical equipment, transportation and capacity building of healthcare workers.
Although the Rajya Sabha question sought information on shortages of anti-snake venom in Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres and district hospitals, the Ministry did not furnish any state-wise data on shortages. Instead, it said the Drugs Controller General of India had informed the Government that the combined annual production capacity of public and private manufacturers is adequate to meet the country’s requirement based on reported snakebite cases. Public sector manufacturers producing anti-snake venom are supported by their respective state governments.
The Government said it is funding training programmes for doctors and health personnel, strengthening surveillance systems, conducting awareness campaigns and improving emergency response to snakebite cases across the country. It has also urged States and Union Territories to notify snakebite as a reportable disease under their public health laws. So far, 12 states have done so—Assam, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Bihar and Jharkhand. Jammu and Kashmir is not among them.
The Ministry further informed Parliament that all States and Union Territories are now reporting snakebite cases and deaths through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme’s online platform, enabling better monitoring of the disease burden.
Across the country, the number of reported snakebite cases has continued to rise. India recorded 86,294 cases and 183 deaths in 2023, which increased to 1,20,982 cases and 375 deaths in 2024. In 2025, reported cases climbed further to 1,40,302, while fatalities reached 429.
The highest number of snakebite cases during 2025 was reported from West Bengal, which recorded 27,471 cases and 65 deaths. It was followed by Karnataka with 16,805 cases and 160 deaths, Tamil Nadu with 15,837 cases and 26 deaths, Odisha with 15,815 cases and 23 deaths, and Assam, which reported 11,817 cases and 13 deaths.
Against this national backdrop, Jammu and Kashmir accounted for a relatively small share of India’s snakebite burden. However, the reduction in deaths from 18 in 2024 to eight in 2025 marks one of the most notable improvements recorded by the Union Territory in recent years, even as more than a thousand snakebite cases continued to be reported annually.
