Overview

• Published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the modeling study suggests the Big Four venomous snakes could shift into Northern and Northeastern states under future climate scenarios.
• India already records an estimated 46,000 to 60,000 snakebite deaths each year, underscoring the public-health stakes of potential range changes.
• The analysis integrates climate-based distribution models with regional vulnerability and health-system capacity to map future risk across districts and states.
• The authors urge stronger clinical planning and expanded antivenom research and production to prepare for projected hotspots.
• Researchers caution that uneven occurrence data, hard-to-document rural sightings, and factors like land-use change and urbanization limit predictive certainty, and they call for replication.