Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 100, Issue 7 , Pages 693-695 , July 2006

Underestimation of snakebite mortality by hospital statistics in the Monaragala District of Sri Lanka

  • S. Fox

      Affiliations

    • Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
    • ,
  • A.C. Rathuwithana

      Affiliations

    • Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, P.O. Box 6, Ragama, Sri Lanka
    • ,
  • A. Kasturiratne

      Affiliations

    • Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, P.O. Box 6, Ragama, Sri Lanka
    • ,
  • D.G. Lalloo

      Affiliations

    • Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
    • ,
  • H.J. de Silva

      Affiliations

    • Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, P.O. Box 6, Ragama, Sri Lanka
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +94 11 2958039; fax: +94 11 2958337.

Received 29 June 2005 ,Revised 1 September 2005 ,Accepted 5 September 2005.

References 

  1. Chippaux J-P. Snake-bites: appraisal of the global situation. Bull. World Health Organ. 1998;76:515–524
  2. Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka, 1984. Report on a survey to estimate the completeness of birth and death registration in Sri Lanka – 1980. Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka, Colombo.
  3. Hati AK, Mandal M, De MK, Mukherjee H, Hati RN. Epidemiology of snake bite in the district of Burdwan, West Bengal. J. Indian Med. Assoc. 1992;90:145–147
  4. Makita, L., 2003. Investigation of beliefs regarding snakebites in rural Sri Lanka and the influence of those beliefs on health seeking behaviour. Dissertation, Master of Community Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK.
  5. Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 2002. Annual Health Bulletin. Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, Colombo.
  6. Pugh RN, Theakston RD. Incidence and mortality of snakebite in Savana Nigeria. Lancet. 1980;29:1182–1183
  7. Sawai Y, Toriba M, Itokawa H, de Silva A, Perera GLS, Kottegoda MB. Death from snakebite in Anuradhapura District. Ceylon Med. J. 1983;28:163–169
  8. Theakston RDG, Warrell DA, Griffiths E. Report of a WHO workshop on the standardization and control of antivenoms. Toxicon. 2003;41:541–557
  9. Trape JF, Pison G, Guyavarch E. High mortality from snakebite in south-eastern Senegal. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2001;95:420–423
  10. White J. Bites and stings from venomous animals: a global overview. Ther. Drug Monit. 2000;22:65–68

PII: S0035-9203(05)00324-X

doi: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2005.09.003

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 100, Issue 7 , Pages 693-695 , July 2006

Article Tools