Agriculture and snakebite in Bahia, Brazil – An ecological study

Abstract

This study investigated the correlation between the incidence of snakebite and indicators of agricultural development in municipal districts of the State of Bahia, Brazil. An ecological study was conducted with the 27,347 cases of snakebite poisoning reported to the Reportable Diseases National Information System in municipalities from the State of Bahia, Brazil, 2000–2009. The unit of analysis was each one of the 417 State municipalities, and the outcome variable was the average annual incidence of snakebite. Data were analyzed by multiple linear regression technique. The average annual incidence of snakebite ranged from zero to 221.96 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the municipalities. The incidence of snakebite was positively and strongly associated with municipality characteristics: planted areas of cocoa and coffee, and the size of domestic bred chicken and bovine livestocks. It was concluded that several characteristics related to municipal agricultural profile were strongly associated with the incidence of snakebite.