Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) sanctions multi-state project to achieve zero snakebite deaths

A CORRESPONDENT

DEMOW: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has sanctioned a groundbreaking, four-year, multi-state research project totalling Rs 13.5 crore to tackle the devastating public health challenge of snakebite envenoming (SBE) in India. The study, titled ‘Zero Snakebite Death Initiative: Community Empowerment & Engagement for Mitigation of Snakebite Envenoming,’ aims to develop a unified, replicable, and highly effective national model for prevention and management. This extensive implementation research will span the seven states of Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand, and will be spearheaded by Dr Jaideep Menon of Amrita Institute, Kerala, as the Principal Investigator.

In a significant recognition of local healthcare excellence, the Demow Model from Sivasagar, Assam, has been chosen as one of the key successful models to be scientifically studied and potentially scaled across the participating states. The project will analyze and integrate proven regional strategies, including ‘Community Awareness, Volunteers & Participation’ (Demow Model), focusing on robust community engagement and referral networks.

For Assam, the study will focus on the Demow and Gelekey blocks of Sivasagar. Dr Surajit Giri, a snakebite specialist as well as an anaesthesia specialist of Demow Model Hospital, has been appointed as the Investigator for Assam on this project. The research and community study are slated to begin in January 2026.

The primary objective of the project is to co-develop, pilot, and implement a composite model of community engagement for SBE prevention and mitigation. Secondary objectives include assessing changes in awareness among all stakeholders (from community volunteers to doctors) and developing a real-time, digital snakebite dashboard for data-driven surveillance, as informed by Dr Surajit Giri in a press release.

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