If someone gets bitten by a poisonous snake, do not delay and ensure to “get antivenom within 4-6 hours after bite” says the World Health Organization (WHO).
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| “Snakebite can cause disability” – WHO |
According to snakebiteawareness.org:
In 2018, International Snakebite Awareness Day was born when the world needed to know about this mostly ignored crisis. But awareness and action needed more than just one day. As the global community focuses on implementing WHO’s global strategy to reduce death and disability by half by 2030, a great deal of the work starts in communities, hospitals and in labs across the globe.
According to WHO:
Q: What should I do if someone is bitten by a poisonous snake?
A. Time is essential – seek medical care without delay
Get antivenom within 4-6 hours after bite
Immobilize the bitten person and keep them from moving around at all
If possible place them on their side to help protect their airway and breathing
Key Facts from who.int:
• An estimated 5.4 million people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year with 1.8 to 2.7 million cases of envenomings.
• Around 81 410 to 137 880 people die each year because of snake bites, and around three times as many amputations and other permanent disabilities are caused by snakebites annually.
• Bites by venomous snakes can cause paralysis that may prevent breathing, bleeding disorders that can lead to a fatal haemorrhage, irreversible kidney failure and tissue damage that can cause permanent disability and limb amputation.
• Agricultural workers and children are the most affected. Children often suffer more severe effects than adults, due to their smaller body mass.
