Death rates of snakebites in Vadodara, mid-Gujarat: a 3-year study

Abstract

Background: Snakebite is one of the important causes of death in India. The actual incidences of snakebites are more than the number declared from official hospital records because of underreporting of cases because of many reasons. It is the only poisoning in which typical seasonal variations are present, as the incidences are typically higher in monsoon season. Objectives: To determine the magnitude, seasonal trends, and death toll of snakebite cases. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Sir Sayajirao General Hospital and Medical College, Vadodara, Gujarat, India, which is a tertiary-health-care center of mid-Gujarat. A total of 629 cases of snakebite poisoning were studied, which were reported during the span of 3 years (2006–2008), and the data were analyzed. Results: In the 3-year duration, all the data related to the distribution of cases, according to months and seasons, were studied with pattern of death, and we found that the incidences of snakebite were increasing every year with an average mortality of 5.7% and incidences are typically higher in monsoon seasons, which is from June to September in the mid-Gujarat region. We also analyzed the fatal events of snakebite cases in relation to the other medicolegal autopsies and revealed that the death caused by snakebites were contributing only 0.56% of the total load of medicolegal autopsies during the 3-year span of this study. Conclusion: Till date, no study has been carried out on snakebites in Vadodara, and our study shows that though it is a life-threatening emergency, ready availability and appropriate use of antivenom, quick mobilization of patients, and close monitoring in the hospital can help us to reduce the morbidity and mortality.