Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item Epidemiological patterns and trends of paediatric snakebites in Sri Lanka(Biomed Central, 2024-12) Dayasiri, K.; Caldera, D.; Suraweera, N.; Thadchanamoorthy, V.; Hettiarachchi , M.; Denipitiya, T.; Bandara, S.OBJECTIVES This study aimed to analyse the epidemiological patterns of paediatric snake bites in Sri Lanka over a 4-year period (2020-2024).METHODS A multi-centre, retrospective observational study was conducted from June 2020 to June 2024 across nine governmental hospitals in seven provinces of Sri Lanka. Data were collected based on 757 children presenting with snake bites. The snake bites were analysed based on age, gender, and seasonal variations. Data on the type of snake involved, geographic variations and the temporal trends in snake bite occurrences were also analysed.RESULTS The mean age of the 757 children recruited to the study was 10.3 years (SD-5.00, range-0.1-17 years). Males (57.7%) were significantly more affected than females (42.3%) (p < 0.05). Visual identification confirmed the snake species in 58.4% of cases. The hump-nosed viper (16.7%), Russell's viper (14.7%), and common krait (12.9%) were the most common medically important snakes identified in the study. Seasonal peaks in snake bites occurred in May-July and November-December. An increasing trend in snake bite incidence was noted over the first three years, with a slight decline in the final year.CONCLUSION Paediatric snake bites in Sri Lanka show significant age, gender, and seasonal patterns. Targeted public health interventions are needed to mitigate the impact on children.Item Evaluating temporal patterns of snakebite in Sri Lanka: The potential for higher snakebite burdens with climate change(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2018) Ediriweera, D.S.; Diggle, P.J.; Kasturiratne, A.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Gunawardena, N.K.; Jayamanne, S.F.; Isbister, J.K.; Dawson, A.; Lalloo, D.G.; de Silva, H.J.INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease that has been overlooked by healthcare decision makers in many countries. Previous studies have reported seasonal variation in hospital admission rates due to snakebites in endemic countries including Sri Lanka, but seasonal patterns have not been investigated in detail. METHODS: A national community-based survey was conducted during the period of August 2012 to June 2013. The survey used a multistage cluster design, sampled 165,665 individuals living in 44,136 households and recorded all recalled snakebite events that had occurred during the preceding year Log-linear models were fitted to describe the expected number of snakebites occurring in each month taking into account seasonal trends and weather conditions, and addressing the effects of variation in survey effort during the study and due to recall bias amongst survey respondents RESULTS: Snakebite events showed a clear seasonal variation. Typically, snakebite incidence was highest during November to December followed by March to May and August, but this varied between years due to variations in relative humidity, which is also a risk-factor. Low relative humidity levels was associated with high snakebite incidence. If current climate change projections are correct, this could lead to an increase in the annual snakebite of burden of 35,086 (95% CI: 4 202 a€" 69,232) during the next 25 to 50 years. CONCLUSION: Snakebite in Sri Lanka shows seasonal variation Additionally, more snakebites can be expected during periods of lower than expected humidity. Global climate change is likely to increase the incidence of snakebite in Sri Lanka.