Global Snake Bite Initiative

Capital: Dhaka
Official languages: Bengali, English
Total area: 147,520 km2
Estimated population: 162,221,000
Rural area:

Local contact details

Contact person: Dr Aniruddha Ghose

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A summary of snake bite in Bangladesh

Dr Aniruddha Ghose

Snake bite is a result of an unfortunate accidental interaction between a snake and a human victim. It is the single most important toxin-related injury, causing substantial mortality in many parts of the Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Snake bite is a burning public health issue in Bangladesh as a disaster prone country and its geographical position and climatic conditions. The geographical position of Bangladesh in the junction of Indo-Malayan, Indo-Chinese and Indo-Himalayan Regions provides excellent opportunities for having a great diversity of habitats for snakes and as well as other wild animals.

Snake bite, particularly in the rural Bangladesh is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, and it has a significant impact on human health and economy through treatment related expenditure and loss of productivity.

Dhaka, August 8 (bdnews24.com)—The Directorate General of Health Services is preparing to train village-level workers to treat snakebite victims after a nationwide survey, the largest of its type in Bangladesh, revealed as many as 6,000 people succumb to venomous bites in the country every year.

"Snakebites are one of the most neglected health hazards of the twenty-first century and is the second biggest cause of unnatural deaths after drowning," said Prof Md Ridwanur Rahman, head of the research team, at the launch of the survey findings at the CIRDAP auditorium on Saturday.

Prof Rahman, also a lecturer at Suhrawardi Medical College and Hospital, said dedicated wards should be established in hospitals for the treatment of snakebites.

"There are around 50 species of venomous snake in Bangladesh, including Cobra and Krait," said Rahman.