A recent study published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases analyzed decades of data to reveal who’s most at risk of dying from snakebites. The research team found that farm workers are the people most likely to be among the 1.4 million who die every year from snakebites.
Key Findings
The study, which synthesized data from 142 studies documenting more than 200,000 snakebites worldwide, discovered that nearly 70% of cases occurred during outdoor work such as farming and construction. Additionally, most cases happened during rainy seasons and during the evening and early night hours.
According to the study’s co-author, Chandrashekar Janakiram, snakebite cases were also correlated with factors related to poverty, such as lack of adequate footwear, poorly secured homes, and limited access to healthcare education.
Co-author Dr. Jaideep Menon noted that snakebites aren’t random, but instead are predictably correlated with environmental and socio-economic factors. The research team highlighted areas where targeted policies might significantly reduce the risk of snakebite, including workplace safety, rural development, housing improvement, and health education.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
