Kerala High Court directs State to declare snakebite a notifiable disease

The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the State government to take steps to declare snakebite cases and deaths a notifiable disease under the Kerala Public Health Act, 2023, within two months [Kulathoor Jaisingh v State of Kerala & ors].

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Shoba Annamma Eapen observed that many States in India have declared snakebite envenoming as a notifiable disease, making it mandatory to report cases, as without reliable data, policy interventions remain ad hoc.

"However, in the State of Kerala, snakebite envenoming has not yet been declared a notifiable disease," it said.

The Court noted that for effective measures to address the issue of snakebites, the State must have accurate data and make reporting of all cases compulsory for all government and private health facilities, including medical colleges.

Accordingly, the Court directed the State to take steps to make the snakebite cases and deaths a notifiable disease.

"The State Government will take steps to make snakebite cases and deaths a notifiable disease under the Kerala Public Health Act, 2023, as per the communication of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare dated 27 November 2024, within two months from today," the Court ordered.

The Court also directed the State Chief Secretary to notify the guidelines formulated regarding prevention and treatment of snakebite cases in schools across the State.

The Court earlier had highlighted serious deficiencies in the State's preparedness to deal with snakebite emergencies and called for a coordinated policy from multiple departments, including health, forest, education as well as local self government institutions.

The State then formulated a comprehensive plan to prevent and treat snakebite incidents.

The Court has now directed the State to notify the same.

"The State of Kerala will issue a circular notifying the guidelines on the implementation of safety instructions regarding snakebites in schools across the State (the Guidelines), as formulated in the meeting held on 1 September 2025 under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala, within two weeks from today," the Court ordered.

In its judgement, the Division Bench also issued the following additional directions:

- Government should publicize the guidelines in English and Malayalam on the government's official website along with an email address for public feedback.

- Clear instructions should be issued to all relevant departments specifying their roles for managing snakebite incidents, further adding that it is the government's responsibility to ensure the availability of anti-venom and not schools.

- Until a permanent framework is in place, the working group from the September 1 meeting would continue as a joint committee, chaired by the chief secretary, to review and update guidelines and monitor compliance.

- The joint committee should collaborate with the Kerala State Legal Services Authority and non-governmental organisations (NGO) for grass-root level work.

- The joint committee should frame a standard operating procedure (SOP) for monitoring and reporting the activities of the committee and hold two review meetings every year.

- Government should designate State and district nodal officers for collecting data and placing it before the committee for review.

- Government should also expedite efforts, in coordination with agencies for the development of anti-venom vaccines.

The directions were passed while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking directions to ensure the availability of pediatric ICUs and ventilators in government hospitals across the State, along with school level emergency response framework to prevent snakebite incidents.

The petition was initiated in the wake of the 2019 incident in which a 10-year-old girl, Shehala Sherin, died after being bitten by a snake in her classroom and did not receive timely anti-venom treatment, allegedly due to a lack of proper facilities at the local taluk hospital in Wayanad.

The Court, after taking cognisance of the matter and based on the reports submitted by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), found that many government hospitals lacked functional paediatric ventilators and emergency infrastructure, leaving school children particularly vulnerable in cases of snakebites.

It had earlier directed the chief secretary to convene a meeting of all senior officials from the concerned departments to share suggestions on framing guidelines covering school safety audits, first-aid training, emergency medical response plans, snakebite awareness programmes and coordination of schools with health centres and the forest department.

This meeting was eventually held on September 1 and comprehensive guidelines were formulated which highlighted the need to focus on treatment, community engagement, health system strengthening and research with respect to snakebites.

The petitioner, Kulathoor Jaisingh, was represented by advocate R Gopan.

Advocate G Biju served as Amicus Curiae in the case.

Government Pleader KR Ranjith appeared for the State.

[Read Judgment]