A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake. Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that results in around 100,000 deaths and 400,000 permanent disabilities every year, according to the World Health Organization.^[1]

A cost-effectiveness analysis of antivenom for snakebite in 16 West African countries estimated a cost per death averted ranging from $1,997 in Guinea Bissau to $6,205 in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and a cost per disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) ranging from $83 for Benin to $281 for Sierra-Leone.^[2]

Further reading

Bonde, Mathias Kirk (2022) Snakebites kill 100,000 people every year, here’s what you should know, Effective Altruism Forum, April 27.

Related entries

cause candidates | global health and wellbeing | neglected tropical diseases

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World Health Organization (2019) Snakebite Envenoming: A Strategy for Prevention and Control, Geneva: World Health Organization.
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Hamza, Muhammad et al. (2016) Cost-effectiveness of antivenoms for snakebite envenoming in 16 countries in West Africa, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, vol. 10.