Snake bites – over 100,000 deaths per year…

[2 March 2010 - 09h45]

Every year, five and a half million people in the world fall victim to snake bites. These bites are responsible for 400,000 amputations and 125,000 deaths. From preventing bites to choice of treatment, the entire way they are dealt with needs to be rethought.

There are snakes everywhere… However, it is those people living in tropical rural areas in developing countries who are most affected. And the economic consequences of these accidents are serious, in terms of loss of farm production, for example.

Educating people is essential. And far preferable to eradicating snakes. Although they are dangerous, snakes play an essential role in our ecosystem. In addition to providing specific information, the distribution of protective footwear is another useful approach. Training in first aid and in the main resuscitation techniques is also essential. If a person is bitten by a snake, they must made immobile as quickly as possible and a tight bandage applied to the wound, but without preventing blood circulation.

The venom of a single snake contains up to a hundred different proteins and peptides which are toxic in varying degrees. And these affect the nervous system, the cardiovascular system and haemostasis, ie blood coagulation. The damage caused by snake bites can be very serious … including cardiorespiratory arrest, paralysis, renal insufficiency, impotence, myocardial infarction and gangrene.

There is only one antidote: anti-venom. This is an immunoglobin concentrate prepared from the plasma of domestic animals immunised by repeated injections of the relevant venom. There are certain possible complications: anaphylactic shock can occur, for example. These complications are difficult to foresee, hence the importance of assessing the benefit-risk balance of administering anti-venom, especially in people with known contraindications. As well as anti-venom, patients suffering from respiratory, circulatory and renal problems will require additional treatments.

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