Hospitals near Mount Everest are seeking additional supplies of antivenom amid a rise in snakebite incidents occurring at higher elevations. Health officials in Nepal say that venomous snakes, including king cobras, are increasingly found in mountainous areas where such cases were previously rare.

Sotang Primary Hospital, which serves communities at altitudes exceeding 6,562 feet, has reported treating nearly 30 snakebite patients since mid-April, coinciding with Nepal’s new year. Dr. Pawan Moktan, the hospital’s medical officer, noted that two individuals bitten by venomous snakes were transferred to Kathmandu for specialized care. Similar appeals for antivenom have come from other health facilities in Nepal’s hill and mountain districts, reflecting a broader trend of rising snakebite cases outside the traditional lowland habitats.

Experts attribute the appearance of venomous snakes at greater heights primarily to climate change, which is warming the region and making the environment more hospitable for these reptiles. Professor Sanjib Kumar Sharma, a specialist who contributed to Nepal’s national snakebite guidelines, also identified factors such as expanding transportation networks and shifting human settlements as possible contributors to the species’ range expansion.

Prof. Sharma recounted a recent incident in which he treated a Japanese trekker bitten by a venomous pit viper near Everest Base Camp, underscoring the growing risk to both locals and tourists in high-altitude areas. He emphasized that snakebite remains an underreported health issue in Nepal, with research indicating that about 80 percent of fatalities occur before victims reach medical facilities.

In response to the rising threat, the Nepalese government has pledged to reduce snakebite-related deaths and disabilities by 50 percent by 2030, aligning with broader public health objectives. Health authorities are now working to ensure that remote mountain hospitals are better equipped to handle venomous bites as the region adapts to these emerging challenges.