Snake Bite: The Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD)

Abstract

Snakebite is a common medical emergency and an occupational hazard, the public health issues of snakebite is neglected globally, and it has only been added to WHO’s list of neglected tropical diseases in June 2017. An estimated 1.2 to 5.5 million snakebite cases are reported annually worldwide; 81 to 95% of these incidents take place in south Asian tropical regions. The "snakebite capital of the world" is referred to as India”. India is still a predominantly agrarian nation in the twenty-first century. Indian farmers frequently work barefoot with little protection, which causes significant morbidity and mortality. Toxins in a venomous snake's bite can cause snakebite envenoming, a potentially fatal condition. Two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs are a typical indicator of a venomous snake bite. This may result in redness, swelling, and severe pain at the area, which may take up to an hour to appear. The outcome depends on the type of snake, the area of the body bitten, the amount of snake venom injected, the general health of the person bitten and whether or not anti-venom serum has been administered by a doctor in a timely manner.