Snakebite: the true disease burden has yet to be determined

Abstract

Venomous snakes are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in tropical and subtropical countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania and Latin America. Most snake bites occur in the rural tropics, and result in a high medical and economic toll. The reasons include poor access to [often suboptimal] health services, scarcity of effective and safe antivenom (AVS), survival with disability, and the economic impact of disabled young victims [1]. Despite this, snakebite has not received due attention and the main reason for this is the paucity of sound epidemiological data with which to make the case