Guwahati: In a major boost to India’s fight against snakebite envenoming (SBE), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved a ₹13.5-crore, four-year national study aimed at developing a unified and scalable model to prevent snakebite-related deaths across the country.
The initiative—titled “Zero Snakebite Death: Community Empowerment & Engagement for Mitigation of Snakebite Envenoming”—will be implemented across seven states: Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The project is led by Dr. Jaideep Menon of the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, who will serve as the Principal Investigator.
In a landmark recognition for Assam, the Demow Model from Sivasagar district has been selected as one of the successful grassroots interventions to be scientifically evaluated and potentially replicated nationwide.
Known for its robust network of community volunteers, early referral mechanisms and sustained awareness campaigns, the model will now form a key pillar of the national framework being developed under the study.
The research will compare and integrate several proven regional approaches, including the Demow Model (Assam), which emphasises community engagement and volunteer-driven referral networks; the Maharashtra Model, which focuses on distributing protective gear to reduce high-risk occupational exposure; the Himachal Pradesh Model, which involves administering anti-snake venom (ASV) during patient transport to strengthen pre-hospital care; and the Kerala Model, which uses digital coordination tools for real-time tracking and rapid response.
The study will be implemented under SARPA (Snakebite Awareness, Response, Prevention & Action), a platform designed to strengthen the interface between vulnerable communities and the formal healthcare system, ensuring quicker access to life-saving treatment during the critical “golden hour” following a snakebite.
In Assam, the study will cover the Demow and Gelekey blocks of Sivasagar district, with Dr. Surajit Giri of Demow Hospital appointed as the state investigator.
The project is scheduled to commence in January 2026, with ICMR deploying one research scientist and four technical staff members in each participating state to support field operations, monitoring and data collection.
By generating robust implementation evidence and piloting a composite, community-driven intervention model, the study aims to significantly reduce India’s snakebite mortality burden, which is currently estimated at around 58,000 deaths annually.
The project will also assess improvements in awareness among communities, frontline health workers and clinicians, while developing a national digital dashboard for real-time snakebite surveillance and response.
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