Roraima: the state with the highest incidence of snake envenoming


Ofidism is classified as NTD (Neglected Tropical Disease) being responsible for more than 130,000 deaths worldwide each year. Ophidism is an envenoming situation resulting from the bite of a venomous snake. Unfortunately, a significant part of the population is still unaware about the snakebite reality, which causes a number of deaths higher than the sum of all other NTDs combined.

Roraima also suffers from this problem in a serious way, because it is the Brazilian state with the highest rate of snakebite in Brazil, with almost 100 envenomings by snakes per 100,000 inhabitants. For comparison, in the State of Amazonas, 45 envenomings by snakes occur per 100,000 inhabitants. Several factors contribute to this rate of the state of Roraima and among them is the fact that a large part of the state is indigenous territory, presenting a considerable vegetation area, which increases the chance to encounter snakes. However, the absence of strategic actions by government makes it difficult to improve the scenario. The lack of investments in the health system, which does not provide enough antivenoms or adequate training for health professionals, and the lack of prevention campaigns contribute to the snakebites growth in Roraima.