There is a huge mismatch between the true number of deaths from snakebite and official records (Image: Mark Kostich/Vetta/Getty)

WHEN a snake bites, a visit to the snake charmer is not what the doctor ordered. But according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this is what people are doing – and they are dying for their trouble.

A study in Bangladesh found that only 3 per cent of those treated for snakebite went directly to a doctor; most opted to visit a snake charmer whose healing methods include reciting mantras.

Also at the meeting, David Warrell of the University of Oxford highlighted the mismatch between the true number of deaths and the official records. Warrell and colleagues found that 46,000 people die from snakebite each year in India, where the official figure is 2000.


Their study is the first to estimate the prevalence of snakebite based on interviews with affected communities rather than the rate of hospital visits. Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America are worst affected. Most victims live in rural, often very poor, areas. This remoteness means that even doctors in the major cities of these regions don’t see the issue as an immediate threat to public health.

The World Health Organization has classified snakebite as a neglected tropical disease. “In the 21st century, snakebite is the most neglected of all the neglected tropical diseases,” says Warrell.

In the 21st century, snakebite is the most neglected of neglected tropical diseases