Lok Sabha Question No. 2962 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-28
Subject: Anti-venom Injection
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: JUGAL KISHORE SHARMA, RITI PATHAK, SAVITRI THAKUR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2962 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28 TH DECEMBER, 2018

## ANTI - VENOM INJECTION

## 2962. SHRI JUGAL KISHORE: SHRIMATI RITI PATHAK: SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has formulated  any  policy/scheme  for pr viding  anti - snake  venom injections/ vaccines in primary health centres and if o, the details thereof;

- (b) if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) the number of deaths reported from across the country due to unavailability of anti - snake venom and anti - rabies injection during the last three years, State/UT - wise; and

(d)  the  corrective  steps  taken  or proposedto  be  taken  by  the  Government to  improve  the  said situation?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL )

(a) to (d): No. There is no separate Policy/Scheme for supply of the anti - venom  injections  at Health Centres and Rural Hospitals. However, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare directions to all the States/UTs to includes Anti Snake Venom Serum (ASVS) a nd Tissue Culture Anti - Rabies Vaccine (TCARV) in the list of essential drugs of the State, procure these for supply to Health Facilities for use to the needy persons and book the expenditure Health Mission funds available with States/UTs.

Rabies is transmitted to humans following bite of animals (dogs, cats, monkeys, mo infected  by  the  rabies  virus.  For  prevention  of  deaths  due  to  rabies,  Government implementing the National Rabies Control Programme in t he coun ry. The objectives of the progr are to:

- i. Prevent human deaths due to rabies
- ii. Prevent transmission of rabies virus in dog population
- iii. Mass vaccination of dogs.
- iv. Dog population management
- v. Strengthening surveillance & response.

To  prevent  deaths  due to  human  rabies,  the  strategy  adopted  is  to  implement  mor effective Intra Dermal (ID) route of inoculation for anti - rabies vaccines for Category II & Catego III bites and infiltration of Rabies immunoglobulin in all Cat III bites in all major - rabies clinics of government health facilities.

The States are asked to organize training of health professional on animal bite and ID route of anti -rabies vaccination, IEC activities for community awareness on dos' and don'ts in  the  event  of  a nimal  bite,  strengthening  surveillance  of  human  rabies  and  strength diagnostics for rabies.

State/UT - wise  details  of  deaths  due  to  non - availability  of  anti - venom  and  anti - rabies injections are not available. Details of State/UT -wise deaths due to snake bite and rabies, during t last three years in the country are at Annexure I and II respectively.

## Annexure I

State/UT- wise Deaths due to Snake Bite reported during the years 2015 -2017

| Sl.No.   | State /U.T        |   2015 |   2016 |   2017 (Provisional) |
|----------|-------------------|--------|--------|----------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |     46 |     28 |                   84 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 3        | Assam             |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 4        | Bihar             |     21 |     11 |                   14 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      |     32 |     60 |                   52 |
| 6        | Goa               |      0 |      1 |                    8 |
| 7        | Gujarat           |     78 |     72 |                   49 |
| 8        | Haryana           |      8 |      4 |                    6 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh  |     25 |     23 |                    9 |
| 10       | Jammu & Kashmir   |      2 |      0 |                    1 |
| 11       | Jharkhand         |      4 |     15 |                    0 |
| 12       | Karnataka         |     53 |     46 |                   29 |
| 13       | Kerala            |     18 |     12 |                   11 |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh    |    114 |    113 |                   95 |
| 15       | Maharashtra       |     37 |     67 |                   32 |
| 16       | Manipur           |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 17       | Meghalaya         |      1 |      0 |                    2 |
| 18       | Mizoram           |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 19       | Nagaland          |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 20       | Odisha            |    261 |    120 |                   83 |
| 21       | Punjab            |     11 |      8 |                    3 |
| 22       | Rajasthan         |     58 |     32 |                   44 |
| 23       | Sikkim            |      0 |      2 |                    0 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu        |     74 |     44 |                   37 |
| 25       | Telangana         |     53 |     96 |                    2 |
| 26       | Tripura           |      0 |      1 |                    1 |
| 27       | Uttarakhand       |      1 |      3 |                    0 |
| 28       | Uttar Pradesh     |     78 |    118 |                  125 |
| 29       | West Bengal       |    171 |    138 |                  235 |
| 30       | A & N Islands     |     12 |      0 |                    1 |
| 31       | Chandigarh        |     16 |     36 |                    9 |
| 32       | D & N Haveli      |      3 |      9 |                    7 |
| 33       | Daman & Diu       |      1 |      0 |                    0 |
| 34       | Delhi             |      6 |      4 |                    0 |
| 35       | Lakshadweep       |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 36       | Puducherry        |     35 |      5 |                    9 |
| Total    |                   |   1219 |   1068 |                  948 |

## Annexure II

State/UT- wise Deaths due to Rabies reported during the years 2015 -2017

| S.No.   | State /U.T        |   2015 |   2016 |   2017 (Provisional) |
|---------|-------------------|--------|--------|----------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh    |      1 |      0 |                    5 |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 3       | Assam             |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 4       | Bihar             |      1 |      4 |                    2 |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh      |      3 |      0 |                    1 |
| 6       | Goa               |      0 |      0 |                    1 |
| 7       | Gujarat           |      8 |      6 |                    0 |
| 8       | Haryana           |      0 |      0 |                    1 |
| 9       | Himachal Pradesh  |      2 |      0 |                    2 |
| 10      | Jammu & Kashmir   |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 11      | Jharkhand         |      0 |      1 |                    8 |
| 12      | Karnataka         |      9 |     22 |                   15 |
| 13      | Kerala            |      7 |      2 |                    3 |
| 14      | Madhya Pradesh    |     11 |      0 |                    4 |
| 15      | Maharashtra       |      0 |      1 |                    9 |
| 16      | Manipur           |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 17      | Meghalaya         |      1 |      0 |                    0 |
| 18      | Mizoram           |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 19      | Nagaland          |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 20      | Odisha            |      6 |      3 |                    2 |
| 21      | Punjab            |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 22      | Rajasthan         |      1 |      0 |                    0 |
| 23      | Sikkim            |      3 |      0 |                    0 |
| 24      | Tamil Nadu        |      1 |      1 |                    3 |
| 25      | Telangana         |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 26      | Tripura           |      0 |      3 |                    3 |
| 27      | Uttarakhand       |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 28      | Uttar Pradesh     |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 29      | West Bengal       |     47 |     47 |                   26 |
| 30      | A & N Islands     |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 31      | Chandigarh        |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 32      | D & N Haveli      |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 33      | Daman & Diu       |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 34      | Delhi             |     12 |      3 |                   12 |
| 35      | Lakshadweep       |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| 36      | Puducherry        |      0 |      0 |                    0 |
| Total   |                   |    113 |     93 |                   97 |