Snakebite leads to more than 1,20,000 deaths every year worldwide, says study

An overview of systematic reviews published in the journal PloS Neglected Tropical Disease found lack of evidence on managing snakebite.

The study led by researchers from The George Institute for Global Health, India calls for researchers and funders to focus on conducting high quality research, including systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials such that better care can be offered to snakebite victims.

Clinical practice guidelines rely heavily on evidence gleaned from well conducted systematic reviews (SRs) that comprehensively evaluate the existing research evidence.

'Decisions around interventions to manage and cure snakebite can be informed by evidence from systematic reviews. More research to collect high quality data will go a long way to improve interventions and reduce mortality,' says Soumyadeep Bhaumik, Research Fellow, The George Institute for Global Health, lead author of the overview.

Researchers from the Institute found only 13 completed systematic reviews that looked at various aspects of management of snakebite envenomation.

However, the evidence base was restricted to few studies for most interventions and high-quality evidence that can bring down the burden of snakebite was also lacking.

An earlier study analysing the WHO guidelines also revealed a limited use of available evidence in formulating recommendations and heavy reliance on expert opinion.

In the light of the development of WHO strategy and the goal to reduce death and disability due to snakebite envenomation to half by 2030, this new study highlights that lack of high-quality systematic reviews prevents experts from formulating high quality evidence informed guidelines.

It is a critical gap that needs attention from global health funders. High-quality SRs and other evidence synthesis can aid clinical and public health decision-making and guide future primary research too.

This study also highlighted the problem of defining and measuring outcomes for envenoming and

how it adds to disease burden. 'Our overview indicates lack of consistency in defining and measuring

outcomes for snakebite envenoming is a big gap in research and interventions. Standardisation on what and how outcomes are measured will enable comparison between different interventions, ensuring relevance for different stakeholders and patients,' adds Soumyadeep.

Other recommendations in the study included systematic reviews on snakebite to extract snake-species specific data whenever reported and funding high quality randomised controlled trials on existing clinical issues on first-aid, various snake antivenoms, adverse drug reactions, and wound management for snakebite envenomation.