This year has witnessed a significant rise in the number of people suffering from snake bites in Kathmandu. According to reports from Teku’s Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, more people have been visited the center seeking treatment for snake bites in the past few weeks.

Chief of the Research Division at the Hospital, Dr Sher Bahadur Pun has informed that the hospital has been receiving around 15 to 20 people everyday with complaints of snake bites.

As per the hospital statistics, the number of people suffering from snake bite has already reached 420 in Kathmandu this fiscal year compared to 248 last year. And all this is taking place while the country continues to suffer from a scarcity of anti-snake venom required to treat people suffering from the snake bites.

Dr Pun attributes global warming and climate change as the reasons for the increasing incidents of snake bites in the capital.

The number of people suffering from snake bites is on the rise but availability of anti-snake venom is scarce as it is the same in India from where the vials are imported from, according to Director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division Dr Baburam Marasini.