Episode #125 - Snakebites: Life saving facts

VGS Growing up in India we even saw it in movies that if you’re bitten by a snake you should suck the venom out and spit it out. Does this work?

DW If you’re sucking the venom out, you can end up with two people being bitten by the snake and not just one.

VGS We are talking about snakebites today. Why should you be concerned? Because one person dies every four minutes across the world because of snakebites. Here to talk about it today is Dr David Williams. Welcome David, talk to us about the scenarios where people are being bitten by snakes.

DW Okay, well, look, the average person who gets bitten by a snake is an ordinary individual. They could be a farmer, a cow herder, a school child, mum, dad, somebody coming from a rural community usually, in Asia, Africa, Latin America or somewhere like New Guinea. And these are people who are just going about their day, and they make a simple mistake that leads to them being bitten.

VGS David, how big is this problem and why is WHO concerned about it? 

DW Well snakebites are a really important public health issue. There's about 2.7 million people who are bitten by snakes every year. And between 81,000 and 138,000 of them lose their lives.

VGS Can snakebites be prevented? What can we do to make sure we're safe from snakes?

DW Well, you know, the old adage is that prevention is better than the cure. Avoiding situations where snakebites can happen doesn't cost you anything, and really just involves doing things that are common sense that can lower your risk of contact with a snake in the first place. And it's really important that if you go outside at night, have some sort of light, whether it's a torch, even inside the home, don't stumble around in the dark and tread on a snake that you don't see. Turn a light on. If you sleep on a bed that's off the ground covered with a well tucked in mosquito net. It doesn't just prevent malaria and other mosquito borne diseases. It's been proven in countries like Nepal to reduce the risk of snakebite while sleeping enormously. And probably the most important thing. Children are really vulnerable to snakebites. So you have to talk to them, educate them, make sure they know to leave snakes alone, not try to catch and kill them, and teach them that if they see a snake, they should inform an adult straightaway.

VGS So, David growing up in India we heard and even saw it in movies that when you are bitten by a snake you should tie that part and cut that wound even suck the venom out and spit it out. It sounds dangerous. What does science say about this? What should people do when bitten by a snake?

DW Okay, so the thing about movies is that they're fiction. And the hero and the heroine are never allowed to die. Unfortunately, those techniques in real life, it's not just that they don't work. It's also that they can be very dangerous. It's also that they can be very dangerous. A tourniquet applied too tight can cost you your leg, can end up having to be amputated. If you’re sucking the venom out, and you have poor dental hygiene, you can end up with two people being bitten by the snake and not just one. The most important thing is, like any accident. Don't panic. Don't waste time getting to the nearest health center or hospital as quickly as you can. The best chance you've got of survival, essentially, is if you get proper medical treatment within the first 4 to 6 hours. So harmful first aids and traditional remedies should be avoided. And the basic principle of first aid is to first do no harm so don’t tie a rope or wire around the limb, don’t cut the wound. And certainly don't do things like applying electric shocks. Another thing that's important is that when people get bitten by a snake, sometimes they will become sick. And so if you give them food or drink, they can actually choke on that. So you really shouldn't give them anything by mouth. If they have rings, bangles, watches, other tight things on their bodies around the area where they were bitten,you should remove those as well, because sometimes snakebite causes a lot of local swelling, and those sorts of objects can really cut off the circulation. And then the most important thing is never lay a person on their back, especially in a vehicle on their way to health care. Put them on their left side. And what we call the recovery position, with their head sort of tilted to the side and downwards. And that can actually prevent them from losing their ability to breathe and also prevents them from literally choking to death on their own vomit.

VGS David, talk to us about the treatment for snakebites. Are antivenoms available readily around the world?

DW Okay, well unfortunately, many countries face shortages when it comes to having enough supplies of safe, good quality and effective antivenom drugs. So to this end, WHO is helping countries by identifying the best products that they can use. Providing technical guidance to manufacturers to help them improve and develop and design other products. And we're also looking at new ways to supply antivenoms to even the remotest parts of the world so that more people can easily access treatment.

VGS Thank you David. That was Science in 5 today. Until next time then stay safe, stay healthy, and stick with science.