Epidemiology of Snake Bite in North Malaya

Abstract

A retrospective epidemiological study of 1,159 patients bitten during a 3-year period in north-west Malaya confirms that snake bite is a rural and occupational hazard. The pit viper Ancistrodon rhodostoma (Boie) causes 85% of the bites in north-west Malaya, where snake bite is a serious medical problem. In 824 of the 1,159 cases the snake was reliably identified as a potentially lethal viper, cobra, or sea-snake. Yet 53% of these 824 victims escaped with slight or no poisoning. Poisonous snake bite is not synonymous with snake-bite poisoning.