Tackling venomous snake bites worldwide

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 357; no. 9269; p. 1680
• Main Author: McNamee, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 26-05-2001; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Antivenins - economics; Antivenins - therapeutic use; Aquatic reptiles; Cause of Death; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Developing Countries; Drug Costs; Fatalities; Humans; International; Mercury; Prevention; Snake bites; Snake Bites - drug therapy; Snake Bites - mortality; Snakes; Survival Rate
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)04868-6

January headline in the Illawarra Mercury-a place where a fatal snake bite is newsworthy-- ran "Queensland man dies after snake bite". There are about five snake-bite deaths a year in Australia, where there are many venomous snakes, including the elapids (eg, death adder, taipan, tiger snake, and sea snakes). Fatal snake bites in countries in the developing world are far too common to feature in newspaper headlines. In India, there are an estimated 10 000 to 50 000 deaths a year, especially after bites from the cobra, the common krait, Russell's viper, and the saw-- scaled viper. In Burma, snake bites cause about 1000 deaths a year, and are the fifth single leading cause of death. In north-east Nigeria, a study in the 1970s showed 500 bites per 100 000 population annually, with about 50 deaths per 100 000.