A startling new study suggests that venomous snakebites are killing far more people worldwide than official statistics indicate, with an estimated 274,000 to 513,000 deaths every year. 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. Scientists reveal a hidden snakebite crisis killing up to 513,000 people a year.
When venom enters the body, however, it can cause snake envenoming. This is a potentially fatal condition and it mostly affects poor rural communities across tropical and subtropical regions who don’t have easy access to medical care. As researchers with decades of combined experience in snakebite and tropical disease epidemiology, we came to realise that snake envenoming faces a data crisis.
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.
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