Viewpoints The Need for Full Integration of Snakebite Envenoming within a Global Strategy to Combat the Neglected Tropical Diseases: The Way Forward

Snakebite envenoming constitutes a serious medical condition that primarily affects residents of rural communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and New Guinea [1,2]. It is an occupational, environmental, and domestic health haz-ard that exacerbates the already impov-erished state of these communities [3]. Conservative estimates indicate that, worldwide, more than 5 million people suffer snakebite every year, leading to 25,000–125,000 deaths, while an estimat-ed 400,000 people are left with perma-nent disabilities [4–7]. Eight thousand amputations are thought to be performe