The public health crisis you may not know about: snakebites

[PeteC]

This is some scary stuff! Although mostly about Africa, Asia is included as well.

9 minute video.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-p ... snakebites

[PeteC]

Anti venom not profitable enough to produce, where have we heard similar before. Where has humanity gone.

[pharvey]

Frightening figures....Certainly can certainly see India at the top of the tree having worked there for long periods through all seasons and seen countless snakes in the waters during monsoon season. I've also seen the state of the so called hospitals/medical support especially in the poorer states like Tamil Nadu where a lot of industry is based.

Anti venom not profitable enough to produce, where have we heard similar before. Where has humanity gone.

No surprise there then...

[hhfarang]

I don't know if it's to do climate change or what but even here in a residential neighborhood in the largest city in North Carolina there seems to be a plague of snakes this year. A lot of Copperheads which are poisonous. Several people and lots of dogs bitten so far. The cost for the anti venom treatment here ranges between ten and fifteen thousand dollars, so even if you survive there is lasting damage to your finances!

[HHTel]

I've always had the belief that very few snakes are aggressive. That they fear us more than we fear them. They'll usually only attack if they're cornered without an escape route.

I've swam in waters quite heavily populated by sea snakes. In the Persian Gulf for instance, I'd swim off the beach and you could see the snakes swimming away from you.
I spoke with a Doc at an oil camp in Qatar and he told me that in the ten years he'd been there, he'd only come across one bite and that was because someone stood on it in a rock pool.

I've come across many snakes in my time (not too many here) and whenever I've encountered one, I step away. In almost all cases, the snake will scarper. Leave them alone and they'll leave you alone!

I'm guessing that most of these recorded bites are in effect, accidents. If more care was taken then I'm sure the incidents would reduce. Education?

[hhfarang]

I've always had the belief that very few snakes are aggressive. That they fear us more than we fear them. They'll usually only attack if they're cornered without an escape route.

I've swam in waters quite heavily populated by sea snakes. In the Persian Gulf for instance, I'd swim off the beach and you could see the snakes swimming away from you.
I spoke with a Doc at an oil camp in Qatar and he told me that in the ten years he'd been there, he'd only come across one bite and that was because someone stood on it in a rock pool.

I've come across many snakes in my time (not too many here) and whenever I've encountered one, I step away. In almost all cases, the snake will scarper. Leave them alone and they'll leave you alone!

I'm guessing that most of these recorded bites are in effect, accidents. If more care was taken then I'm sure the incidents would reduce. Education?

During my ten years in Thailand I encountered many snakes. We had a house in the middle of three rai that, in the beginning, was surrounded by empty grown up lots. I had two outdoor dogs so whenever there was a snake around they would find it and then I had to dispense with them to keep the dogs from getting bitten. I found that, like you wrote, all the snakes would flee if given that option except one... the Malaysian Pit Viper would sit curled up under the edge of a bush and you could poke it with a stick and it would not go and it would strike at anything that came within range.