To address the severe public health issue of snakebite envenoming (SBE) in India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved a ground-breaking, four-year, multi-state research project for Rs 13.5 crore. The goal of the study, “Zero Snakebite Death Initiative: Community Empowerment & Engagement for Mitigation of Snakebite Envenoming,” is to create a single, highly successful nationwide strategy for management and prevention. Dr. Jaideep Menon of the Amrita Institute in Kerala will serve as the Principal Investigator for this comprehensive implementation study, which will cover the seven states of Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand.
The Demow Model from Sivasagar, Assam, has been selected as one of the main successful models to be scientifically researched and possibly scaled throughout the participating states in a major acknowledgement of local healthcare excellence. With an emphasis on strong community participation and referral networks, the project will examine and use tried-and-true regional tactics, such as “Community Awareness, Volunteers & Participation” (Demow Model). The Demow and Gelekey blocks of Sivasagar will be the study’s primary focus for Assam.
The project’s investigator for Assam is Dr. Surajit Giri, a specialist in both snakebite and anesthesia from Demow Model Hospital. January 2026 is when the research and community study are scheduled to start. Co-developing, testing, and implementing a composite model of community participation for SBE prevention and mitigation is the project’s main goal. According to a news release from Dr. Surajit Giri, secondary goals include evaluating shifts in awareness among all parties involved (from physicians to community volunteers) and creating a real-time, digital snakebite dashboard for data-driven surveillance.