[Appraisal of snakebite incidence in Senegal, West Africa]

Surveys were carried out in four savannah areas of Senegal. The studied zones had different climatic, economic and demographic characteristics. Two types of studies were performed: on the one hand, a retrospective survey carried out in health centres and, on the other, household surveys in the corresponding areas; all households were questioned in Niakhar, but only selected households in other areas following WHO method of cluster survey for vaccine coverage. Questions involved the circumstances of the bite, symptoms and treatment. The retrospective survey reported very few cases of snakebites over the prospected period. In addition, two zones of surveys were population study areas under observation since more than 20 years and, it has been possible to check certain information in the data base. In the first zone, Thies, a sub-urban area (population density higher than 150 inhabitants per km2), primarily occupied by fruit plantations (mangos, oranges, lemons) and gardens, the annual incidence of snakebites (i.e. all snakebites including those without any symptoms) reached 43 bites per 100,000 and mortality was 1.8 deaths per 100,000. In the study zone of Niakhar, located in the groundnut culture area of Senegal which is also highly populated (130 inhabitants per km2), the incidence of snakebites was 23 bites per 100,000 and mortality was close to 1.8 deaths per 100,000 a year. The area of Nioro du Rip is a mixed agricultural area (food producing and revenue agriculture) and less populated (100 inhabitants per km2). The annual incidence was roughly of 304 per 100,000 and the mortality 3.6 per 100,000. Finally, the fourth area, Bandafassi in the extreme South-East of Senegal is a mountainous zone exclusively occupied by bush and food producing agriculture, and sparsely populated (20 inhabitants per km2). The incidence was 915 per 100,000 and the mortality 11 deaths per 100,000. The population at risk involved males from 15 to 45 years. Pastoral work (agriculture and breeding) was at the origin of the majority of the accidents. The recourse to traditional practitioners was systematic, which explained why the data from the health centers were not relevant enough to evaluate the importance of the envenoming.