Snakebites may be responsible for as many as 2,500 deaths in Nigeria every year, as experts raise fresh concerns over the country’s burden of snakebite envenoming and access to timely treatment. Experts at a national training workshop on snakebite handling, treatment, and management in Lagos said Nigeria records an estimated 43,000 snakebite cases annually, resulting in between 1,099 and 2,500 deaths.
The figures add to longstanding concerns about snakebite in Nigeria. A 2019 estimate put the country’s annual burden at 43,049 snakebite cases, 1,927 deaths and 2,368 amputations, while the Toxinological Society of Nigeria has also cited approximately 43,000 cases and 1,900 deaths annually.
Speaking at the workshop, medical expert Abubakar Ballah identified farmers, herders, hunters and children among groups particularly vulnerable to snakebites. He also highlighted Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi, Benue and Taraba among states with a significant snakebite burden.
Ballah identified the carpet viper, puff adder, and black-necked spitting cobra among Nigeria’s medically important snakes. Venom from dangerous snakes can cause severe bleeding, tissue damage, kidney injury, paralysis and other potentially fatal complications.
Experts at the workshop stressed that delays in seeking appropriate medical care can worsen outcomes. Harmful first-aid practices, including cutting the bite wound, attempting to suck out venom, applying tight tourniquets and relying on traditional remedies, were also discouraged.
Snakebite victims were instead advised to remain as calm and still as possible, immobilise the affected limb and seek medical attention promptly. Antivenom, when clinically indicated and appropriately administered, remains the principal treatment for snakebite envenoming.
The World Health Organization classifies snakebite envenoming as a neglected tropical disease. It estimates that about 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes worldwide each year, with between 1.8 million and 2.7 million cases of envenoming. Around 81,410 to 137,880 people die annually.
Beyond deaths, snakebites can leave survivors with amputations and other permanent disabilities, making access to appropriate treatment and effective antivenom particularly important in communities where the burden is highest.
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