Overview

• Published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the study models future habitat for the Big Four venomous snakes and overlays socioeconomic and healthcare metrics to forecast district- and state-level risk.
• Projections identify expanding suitability in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Assam, with notable increases flagged in northeastern states such as Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• The risk index also highlights current vulnerabilities in parts of Karnataka (Chikkaballapura, Haveri, Chitradurga) and Gujarat (Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar).
• India bears the world’s highest estimated snakebite deaths at 46,000 to 60,000 annually, underscoring the public-health significance of shifting snake ranges.
• Authors caution that data gaps, underreported snake occurrences, and land-use change limit model precision, and they call for improved surveillance, antivenom research and production, and health-system planning.