Snakebite pocket guide

Grant application

You replied on Sat 08/05/2021 14:44

Sakthi Vaiyapuri <s.vaiyapuri@reading.ac.uk>

Sat 08/05/2021 14:35

To:

thefriends@reading.ac.uk

RE: Grant application to request a funding support of £3000 to print a pocket guide (100,000 copies) for our snakebite public awareness campaign in rural villages of Tamil Nadu, India

Dear Grants Officer,

I am pleased to submit this application to seek a funding support of £3000 from “The Friends of the University of Reading” to support our snakebite public awareness campaign among young children in rural areas of Tamil Nadu, a large state in South India.

Snakebite envenomation is a high priority neglected tropical disease and significant public health issue affecting around 5.4 million people each year worldwide, resulting in approximately 150,000 deaths and generating 500,000 victims with permanent disabilities. Snakebites largely affect the poor agricultural communities living in rural areas of developing countries. India has one of the highest rates of snakebite envenomation related deaths in the world and as a result it accounts for nearly half of the global burden of snakebite deaths; with 58,000 deaths occurring every year. It is home to over 200 species of snakes, of which 60 are venomous. However, the ‘Big 4’ snakes, Russell’s viper, Indian cobra, common Krait and Saw-scaled viper are considered to cause most of these deaths and disabilities. The World Health Organisation’s global strategy for prevention and control of snakebites aims to halve the numbers of snakebite-induced deaths and disabilities by 2030. In our research, we demonstrated that the lack of sufficient public awareness about snakes and snakebites is a most important factor in augmenting snakebite-induced deaths and disabilities. Therefore, we have been involved in performing various public awareness programmes to improve the awareness about snakes and snakebites among the members of public in rural villages of Tamil Nadu, and demonstrated the effectiveness of these activities in reducing snakebite-induced deaths and disabilities.

Currently, we are in the process of developing a community education programme specifically for young children studying in primary and secondary schools in rural Tamil Nadu. To engage with these children, we have developed the attached pocket guide with essential information about snakes and snakebites. Due to the limited access to internet and smart phones in rural villages, we would like to print this guide and distribute to the children in numerous schools in rural Tamil Nadu. This would be a novel as well as interactive way of disseminating snakebite public health information, and it can be translated into multiple Indian languages as well as amended to include ‘pictograms’ for those who may be illiterate. Therefore, we would like to kindly seek a funding support of £3000 from ‘The Friends of the University of Reading’ to print 100,000 copies (each copy will cost £0.03 = ~3 Indian Rupees) of this pocket guide for our public awareness campaign among children. We would be happy to acknowledge the support provided by your organisation on the pocket guide and also in any subsequent research publications. Your generous support will enable us to educate numerous children about the dangers of snakebites and thereby, reduce snakebite-induced deaths and disabilities in Tamil Nadu, which is one of the mostly affected state in India by snakebites.

I hope that I have provided sufficient details for you to consider this request, however, please let me know if you need any further details.

Many thanks for your support and I look forward to hear from you.

Regards
Sakthi

Dr Sakthivel Vaiyapuri MSc., PhD
Associate Professor in Cardiovascular & Venom Pharmacology

Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellow
Warden, Mackinder Hall
Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research
School of Pharmacy
Hopkins building
University of Reading
Whiteknights
Reading, RG6 6UB
United Kingdom
Tel. +44 (0)118 3788015

https://www.reading.ac.uk/pharmacy/about/staff/s-vaiyapuri.aspx

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