Ten fold increase in snakebites

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Snakebites are rapidly increasing in Sri Lanka. The majority (60 percent) of snakebites are reported from the dry zone. Only 3,820 snakebites were reported from Sri Lanka in 1985 while 132 persons died from snakebites. This figure increased to 39,321 by 2007.

This was revealed during a seminar at the Health Education Bureau yesterday. Ninety-one persons had died from snakebites in 2007 while this figure was 134 in 2005. One hundred and ninety-four deaths following snakebites were reported in 2000 while 37,000 snakebites were reported the same year.

The Government spends a large amount on anti-venom, sources said.

Most snakebite victims die because they fail to identify the snake, which is essential to provide accurate treatment. It is difficult to give the anti-venom injection without accurately identifying the snake. People should bring the snake (dead or alive) to the hospital whenever possible.

There are 101 varieties of snakes in Sri Lanka and only six are poisonous. Another five are mildly poisonous. Out of 101, only 88 varieties of snakes live on land and the rest live in the sea.

One of the main reasons for the rapid increase in snakebites in Sri Lanka is decreasing forests and marshlands.