Regional Snake-bite Prevention and Control Plan of Action

Abstract

Snake-bites are well known medical emergencies and a cause of hospital admission in many countries. The magnitude of this problem is underestimated because of its occurrence in rural and hard-to-reach areas. The South-East Asia Region is one of the world’s most affected regions due to the widespread agricultural activities in this Region, the presence of numerous venomous snakes, and lack of community awareness to address this problem. The WHO South-East Asia Region has spearheaded several initiatives on snake-bite prevention and control in the past. Work in this area in the Region began in 1999 with the publication of a special issue of the “Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health” on “Clinical Management of snake bites in the Southeast Asian Region”. Later this was published as an independent document in 2011 and was revised in 2016 with new technical advances in this area of work. Recently, WHO added snake-bites to its list of neglected diseases to enhance advocacy on this issue and request Member States to initiate appropriate steps to mitigate the impact of this preventable condition which is an important medical emergency and cause of hospital admission. In 2018, the Seventy-first World Health Assembly adopted a resolution (‎WHA71.5)‎ on ”Addressing the burden of snake-bite envenoming”. A progress report on this resolution will be presented to the Seventy-third World Health Assembly. WHO launched the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Snake-bite envenoming at the Seventy-second World Health Assembly in May 2019. At the High-Level Preparatory Meeting Member States requested the Regional Office to develop a Regional Snake-bite Prevention and Control Plan of Action to help Member States strengthen their capacity to prevent, control and effectively manage snake-bites. This Working Paper is submitted to the Seventy-second Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia for its consideration and guidance.