The Epidemiology of Snakebite in Bhutan: A Retrospective Study

Bhutan is a tropical country where snakebite is supposedly common, but official data are scanty and unmethodical. Deaths from snakebites were reported from areas where snakebites are common. Four-year (2018-2021) data of snakebite from 45 Bhutanese hospitals were collected and analysed to describe the burden and map by districts. A total of 371 snakebites were recorded from 45 hospitals during the 4 years. Most cases were seen in the southern and central parts of the country. There was a definite rise in the number of cases in the warmer months, starting from March and peaking between June and August. About 240 (65%) of the bites occurred in males, and the highest number of snakebites occurred during farming (n = 100, 27%), bush walking (n = 42, 11.3%), herding (n = 15, 4%) and trekking (n = 1, 0.2%). The most common anatomical bite site was the leg (n = 167, 45.01%), followed by the hand (n = 81, 21.8%), finger (n = 56, 15.09%), toes (n = 11, 2.96%), thigh region (n = 6, 1.6%), head and face (n = 3, 0.8%), chest and shoulder (n = 3, 0.8%) and abdomen (n = 1, 0.3%). Most snakes were unidentified (n = 266, 71.7%). Those identified were vipers (n = 74, 19.9%), rat snakes (n = 12, 3.2%), kraits (n = 7, 1.88%), cobras (n = 6, 1.61%), river snakes (n = 5, 1.34%) and wolf snakes (n = 1, 0.26%). Forty-three (11.6%) of the bite victims had resorted to non-medical home treatment. Even with an obvious underreporting, snakebite is a significant public health problem, and Bhutan should embrace more public health and clinical activities to prevent morbidities and mortalities from snakebite.