Up to Half a Million People in the World Die from Snakebites Every Year, Study Finds

Bites from venomous snakes cause the deaths of significantly more people worldwide than official statistics indicate, according to a new study cited by “Science Daily.”

According to rough estimates, between 274,000 and 513,000 people die each year from snake bites.

Researchers found that as many as 7 million people could suffer snake envenoming annually, while more than 800,000 survivors are left with long-term disabilities.

Researchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have concluded that there is a data crisis when it comes to snake envenoming.

Over half of the countries where venomous snakes pose a threat don’t keep count of how many people are bitten or envenomed.

In rural sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, many victims live hours away from the nearest clinic, lack transport, or seek care from traditional healers. As a result, their cases are never captured in national health statistics.

To bridge this gap, the team conducted a study covering 79 countries. The study aims to outline the global scale of snake envenoming and related deaths.

According to the findings, snake envenoming is a public health crisis on a far greater scale than official statistics have shown. The results show that sub-Saharan Africa bears the heaviest toll.

Mapping the problem at country level is an important first step towards achieving the World Health Organization's target of halving deaths and cases of disability resulting from snakebites, the researchers said.

Source: BTA