1Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Madurai Medical College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
2Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Madurai Medical College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
*Corresponding author Dr. Manigandan G (MD) Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Madurai Medical College, Madurai-625020, Tamil Nadu, India Email id: dr.manigandan86@gmail.com Phone: 9566708075/7598566989
Online published on 17 August, 2016.
Snake venom is probably the oldest known poison to mankind. Globally every year, an estimated more than 5 million people are bitten by snakes. Over 2, 000 species of snakes are known worldwide, of which around 400 are poisonous. A hospital based retrospective study was conducted at tertiary care center in Madurai, South India by collecting the hospital records and post mortem certificates for two years. The study included 108 cases of snake bite victims. The majority of the cases were males (60.1%). Maximum numbers of snakebite cases were reported during the month of September to December (53.7%). The peak time of snakebite was between 18.01 and 24.00 h which was reported in 48.1% of the cases. Lower extremities were the most common site of bite in more than three-fourth of the cases (77.7%). The most common symptoms were a pain (82.4%) and swelling (51.8%). Viper bite was most common in the locality. Messages regarding prompt reporting of snakebite cases and importance of effective treatment must be disseminated among people through mass media and role plays.
Epidemiology Madurai, Snakebite, Viper bite, South India
