ABSTRACT
Snakebite envenomation is a neglected tropical disease that affects 1.8 to 2.7 million people every year, causing 81,000 to 138,000 deaths and leaving at least 400,000 people with permanent physical disabilities and psychological sequelae. Snakebites have a heavy impact on impoverished rural communities of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and parts of Oceania, and they perpetuate the vicious cycle of poverty. The present chapter describes the main features of snakebite envenomation from a public health perspective and discusses why it is a neglected tropical disease. The significant advances made in the recognition of the burden of snakebites over the last years are described. They are the outcome of a multi-stakeholder initiative within a frame of cooperation and partnership. The launching, by the World Health Organization (WHO), of a global strategy for the prevention and control of these envenomations constitutes a turning point aimed at significantly reducing the heavy burden of human suffering caused by this disease.
