Health authorities said the spread of venomous snakes into Nepal’s mountains had prompted remote hospitals to prepare for a type of medical emergency that was once largely confined to the country’s southern plains.
Experts said snakes, including king cobras, were heading up the mountains as the climate warmed, threatening tourists and climbers.
Sotang Primary Hospital in Solukhumbu district, home to Mount Everest, appealed for supplies from the Ministry of Health and Food Safety to treat a growing number of snakebite victims.
“Around 30 snakebite victims have sought treatment at our hospital since April 14 [Nepal’s new year],” Dr Pawan Moktan, the hospital’s medical officer, said. “Two of the victims were bitten by venomous snakes and referred to Kathmandu for specialised treatment.”
The hospital, which serves Everest’s population at elevations of more than 2000m, is awaiting the antivenom.
Officials say similar requests have arrived from other hospitals in Nepal’s hill and mountain districts, as doctors report an increase in venomous bites outside the usual range of snakes.
“We are seeing snakes from the plains reaching the hill regions,” said Professor Sanjib Kumar Sharma, a physician and snake expert who helped develop Nepal’s national snakebite guidelines.
“Global warming is probably making the environment more suitable for them, but increased transportation and changing human habitats could also be contributing,” Sharma told the Telegraph.
Last year, he treated a Japanese trekker bitten by a venomous pit viper near Everest Base Camp. The tourist recovered, but Sharma said the case showed that venomous snakebites were no longer confined to the plains.
Snakebites are one of Nepal’s most neglected public health emergencies.
“Snakebite is a highly under-reported disease,” he said. “Our studies show that around 80% of snakebite deaths in Nepal occur before patients ever reach a treatment centre.”
Nepal is warming almost twice as fast as the global average, allowing venomous snakes to survive at elevations higher than in the past.
The trend has been particularly pronounced in the country’s hills and mountains.
“People at high risk of snakebites, including children, those working in the fields and those living in thatched homes, must be made aware of the risks,” Sharma said.
Last year, wildlife rescuers captured 10 venomous snakes, including nine king cobras, in an area near Mt Everest.
“If antivenom for snakes found in the hills is not developed or made available there is a possibility we will see more snakebite deaths in those regions,” Sharma said.
The Nepali Government has committed to halving the deaths and disabilities caused by snakebite by 2030, a national target aligned with the World Health Organisation’s “snakebite roadmap”.
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