[Venomous snakes in Germany and Europe]

It is estimated that worldwide there are 5,000,000 snakebites per year of which 2,500,000 lead to symptoms of venomization, nearly 400,000 result in permanent sequelae and 125,000 are fatal. In Germany there are only two venomous snakes, the European adder and the European aspis viper (asp). Bites by venomous snakes in Germany as well as in geographical Europe should always be classified as a life threatening emergency unless there is evidence to the contrary and even with a lack of symptoms a minimum of 24 h inpatient monitoring should be recommended, if possible with medical care in an institution experienced with snakebites. Travellers are urgently advised to inform themselves about the local occurence of venomous snakes usually to be found at the travel destination, before starting the journey.