Snakebite of Santa Catarina state, Brazil

Abstract

Accidents caused by snakes (snakebites) are considered a public health problem in tropical countries, once they have a high incidence. This paper reports a study on snakebite accidents in the state of Santa Catarina between 2007 and 2014. Epidemiological data were obtained on the online platform of Sistema de Informações de Agravos de Notificação and were analyzed by region of the state. There were 6,385 cases of snakebites recorded in the studied period, which most often occurred between the months of January and February. Bothrops species was responsible for about 80.49% of snakebites recorded during the study period and 6.14% of cases were attributed to non-venomous species. The highest coefficient of incidence of snakebites per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded in the Western region and the lowest coefficient in the Southern region of the state. Despite all the advances (e.g., rapid access to health facilities, use of PPE), public health authorities still neglect the problems associated with snakebite, which is reflected in the high frequency of snakebites and the number of recorded deaths in the state.