GENEVA

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said that one person dies from a snakebite every four to six minutes, and more than a third of all victims are under 20 years old.

"While venomous snakes are broadly distributed in both tropical and temperate regions of the world, ranging from tropical rainforests to arid deserts and even the icy tundra above the arctic circle, the highest impact on public health occurs in low- and middle-income nations in tropical and sub-tropical environments,” David Williams, WHO expert on snakes and snakebites, told a UN briefing in Geneva.

His remarks came ahead of International Snakebite Awareness Day, which is observed every Sept. 19.

According to the expert, 1.8-2.7 million cases of snakebite occur each year, resulting in some 81,000-138,000 deaths.

Most snakebites occur in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Williams said, while an estimated 1.2 million people died from snakebites in India alone in 2000-2019 – an average of 58,000 annually.

He stressed that not all snakebites cause deaths, but for every person who dies, three more are left with "long-term or permanent disabilities" such as debilitating physical scarring or even amputation.

On addressing this threat, he said the areas most affected by snakebites have little to no access to adequate treatments.

"Anti-venoms, the most effective treatments currently available, are in critically short supply in many of the worst-affected regions of the world, with one study estimating that sub-Saharan Africa had access to less than 3% of annual needs," he said.

He also drew attention to the potential impact of climate change on venomous snake populations, distribution, and human contact.

Climate change could expand the range and abundance of venomous snakes, potentially forcing some species into new environments where they will come into contact with people who have not encountered them before, he warned.