ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the whole continent of Africa including Madagascar and "the Arabian Peninsula" bounded to the north by Syria and to the northeast by Iraq. An enormous body of observations, beliefs and superstitions surrounds the subject of snakes and snakebites in many parts of Africa and in most regions there is a range of traditional remedies which are usually preferred to western medicine. In some rural areas, such as the Benue Valley of northern Nigeria, snake bite is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among farmers, pastoralists and hunters. Precise figures for the incidence of snakebite and resulting morbidity and mortality are not available for any country in African Countries but some idea of the relative importance of snakebite can be gained from the literature. The highest incidence of snakebite is in the West African savanna region where saw-scaled or carpet vipers, spitting cobras and puff adders are most often involved.
