Reliable statistics are lacking, but the WHO estimates that between 1.8 and 2.7 million people are bitten by venomous snakes each year. According to the organization, between 81,000 and 138,000 people are killed each year, or one death every 4 to 6 minutes – figures that are undoubtedly underestimated.
But Dr. Williams particularly emphasizes the side effects suffered by survivors. “Approximately 240,000 people a year are disabled due to snake bites. More than a third of them are children,” he explained. Bites from venomous snakes can cause paralysis that can block breathing, blood disorders that lead to fatal hemorrhages, irreversible kidney failure, and tissue damage that can lead to permanent disability and limb amputation, according to the WHO.
But antivenoms are sorely lacking in many of the worst-affected regions of the world, Dr Williams insisted, citing sub-Saharan Africa where only 2.5% of annual needs are met. In 2019, the WHO explained that since the 1980s, many laboratories have abandoned the manufacture of these treatments, causing a severe shortage in Africa and some Asian countries.
Climate change
India is the country most affected by snake bites, with an average of 58,000 deaths each year. Bangladesh and Pakistan, neighboring countries, are also very affected, according to the doctor.
Climate change risks altering the global map of snakebites, explains the UN organization. “Just as climate change will affect human populations, it will also cause changes in the distribution and abundance of venomous snakes, which could force some species into new environments where they come into contact with humans they have never encountered before. until now”, she emphasizes.
More frequent or greater flooding due to climate change increases the risk of bites, Dr. Williams explained, referring to Nigeria, an African country that is “currently facing a serious shortage of antivenom due to the influx of cases of mosquito bites. snake due to floods. “We saw the same thing happen in the last big floods in Pakistan,” he added, also citing Burma, Bangladesh and South Sudan. Snakes and humans are forced to share non-flooded areas, leading to more interactions.