Venomous snakebites in Diwaniah: A Clinicoepidemiological descriptive study

Abstract

Background: venomous snakebite is an important health hazard in this area associated with high mortality.Objectives: exploration of snake envenomation cases in children and adolescents up to the age of 16 years in this city with a focus on clinical and demographic characters and causes of death. Patients and methods: this observational and retrospective study involves 49 cases of venomous snakebites admitted to the teaching hospitals in this city between 2005-2009. Results: the median age of patients was 8 years, 84% of the bites happened during the hot season( May – August), most cases were from rural areas ( 90%) particularly from Albdeer, Shannafiah and Alhaffar. The death rate among the studied patients was 28.6% which was very high in comparison with rates reported elsewhere. Conclusion: There is a need for exploration of the types of venomous snakes in this area and a demand for the availability of species specific antivenom.