Shivamogga reports most cases and Koppal most deaths, as Karnataka sees sharp rise in snakebites

Karnataka sees a surge in snakebite cases in 2025, with Shivamogga reporting the most cases and Koppal the highest fatalities.

Karnataka has recorded a steady and sharp increase in reported snakebite cases over the past five years, with 16,805 cases and 154 deaths reported in 2025, according to data from the Health Department’s Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal.

The State reported 950 cases in 2021. The number rose to 3,439 in 2022 and 6,596 in 2023. In 2024, cases more than doubled to 13,235, before increasing further in 2025.

In terms of fatalities, Koppal recorded the highest number of snakebite deaths at 13 in 2025. Chamarajnagar followed with 12 deaths, while Raichur, Dharwad and Davanagere recorded 10 deaths each in 2025. Several other districts have reported deaths in single digits, while a few have reported one or no deaths so far this year. From zero mortality in 2021, deaths increased to 17, 19, 100 and 154 in the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively.

Health officials attribute part of the rise to strengthened surveillance after snakebite was declared a notifiable disease, making it mandatory for government and private health facilities to report cases and deaths.

In February 2024, Karnataka became the first State in India to declare snakebite as a notifiable condition, institutionalising real-time reporting through the public health surveillance system. This marked a critical shift from episodic response to data-driven governance.

District-wise data for 2025 shows that Shivamogga has recorded the highest number of snakebite cases at 1,002. Other districts with high case load this year include Chikkaballapur, Hassan, Mandya, Mysuru and Koppal, reflecting a concentration of cases in agrarian and forest-fringe regions.