The final frontier: can Kerala lay out a roadmap to a ‘zero snakebite deaths initiative’ for India?

India accounts for nearly half the global mortality attributed to snakebite envenoming (SBE). In response, the Government of India launched the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming in 2024, targeting a 50% reduction in deaths and disabilities by 2030. Kerala’s use of mobile apps, certification of snake rescuers, and overall health system preparedness have enabled early care and reduced mortality. Based on these success stories, we are proposing a scalable roadmap, ‘The Kerala Model,' for achieving zero snakebite deaths in India. Kerala has initiated the Zero Snakebite Deaths Initiative, building on national policy and state-level success. A multidisciplinary conclave held at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences on February 13th, 2025, brought together stakeholders from the fields of health, forestry, basic sciences, and civil society to develop a comprehensive state action plan for the prevention of snakebite envenoming (SAPSE). The strategy includes community empowerment through school-based education, training first responders and healthcare workers, improving pre-hospital care, ensuring access to quality ASV, and establishing a digital snakebite registry integrated with ecological and surveillance data. Kerala’s evidence-informed, multi-stakeholder framework aligned to the NAP–SE offers a replicable model for high-burden states. With continued investment in digital data systems, community outreach, and healthcare training, the goal of zero snakebite deaths in India is not aspirational but achievable.