Published Date: 10 August 2009
By Julhas Alam in Dhaka
SOME 700,000 people in Bangladesh are bitten by snakes every year and up to 6,000 of those die, making snakebites the country's second leading cause of unnatural death, a ministry of health study has found.
Most of the incidents occur during the May to October rainy season, when snakes are flushed out of their natural environment, Azizar Rahman, director of the government's department of disease control, said.
Drowning is the leading cause of unnatural death in Bangladesh, a delta nation that is criss-crossed by some 350 rivers.
The country of 150 million people is also home to 50 species of snake, including the king cobra and krait. The study, conducted by eight experts with funding from the government and the World Bank, found that 29 per cent of snakebite victims are bitten while walking at night, 24 per cent while working in the fields and 15 per cent while they are sleeping.
It is difficult to spot the snakes in the dark in rural areas where electricity and street lights are rare. Half of Bangladeshis live on less than £1 a day.
The study found only 3 per cent of the victims are treated at hospitals or by registered doctors, while 86 per cent seek treatment from snake charmers or village healers.
Rahman said: "It's good that we have done it finally. Now it will be possible to work on reducing deaths."
700,000 suffer snake bites in Bangladesh every year
Linear Mode
