Kathmandu, July 17 -- Every year, an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 people are bitten by snakes. Around 2,700 die, mostly women and children, in the Tarai. That's about seven deaths every day.

Yet in the rural areas, where most bites occur and health services are scarce, few know how to respond. Many follow misinformed practices that worsen outcomes.

Nationally, only 20 percent of snakebite victims reach hospital, says Milan Bajracharya, a consultant physician at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Kathmandu. "Around 40 per cent die at home. Another 40 percent on the way."

In Nepal, where victims often don't receive medical care for days, first aid becomes a vital first line of defence.

Knowledge of snakebite first aid sh...