Snakebite: Gombe, Bauchi, 10 others record highest cases every year
The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, said 12 Nigerian states have the highest number of snakebite cases in the country.
He listed Gombe, Plateau, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Nasarawa, Enugu, Kogi, Kebbi, Oyo, Benue, and Taraba as the states with the highest cases so far, though some cases of snakebites are undocumented because they were not taken to any health facility.
Mamora stated this during a press briefing organized by the ministry to mark this year’s International Snakebite Awareness Day.
Quoting a recent survey, Mamora said snakebites in the country occurred at 479 cases per 100,000 people, adding that Nigeria records an average of 15,000 to 20,000 cases of snakebites every year.
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The Permanent Secretary FMOH, Alhaji Mahmoud Mamman, said from 2018 to December 2020, over 45,834 cases of snakebite and 1,793 deaths were reported in Nigeria.
He said, “Nigeria records an average of 15,000 to 20,000 cases of snakebite every year, with about 2,000 people killed and between 1,700 and 2,000 people whose legs or arms are amputated to save their lives after snakebite.
He also said Nigeria is among the countries worst affected by snake bites, reaching epidemic proportions.
“About 5 million people in the world are bitten by snakes every year and up to 2.5 million people suffer poisoning or envenomation.
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