What is the impact of snakebite envenoming on domestic animals? A nation-wide community-based study in Nepal and CameroonRecommendations
Isabelle Bolon,
Sara Babo Martins,
Carlos Ochoa,
Gabriel Alcoba,
María Herrera,
Henri Magloire Bofia Boyogueno,
Barun Kumar Sharma,
Manish Subedi,
Bhupendra Shah,
Franck Wanda,
Sanjib Kumar Sharma,
Armand Seraphin Nkwescheu,
Nicolas Ray,
François Chappuis,
Rafael Ruiz de Castañeda
Affiliations
Isabelle Bolon
Institute of Global Health, Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Chemin des mines 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland; Corresponding author. Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.
Sara Babo Martins
Institute of Global Health, Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Chemin des mines 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
Carlos Ochoa
Institute of Global Health, Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Chemin des mines 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland; Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, 66 boulevard Carl-Vogt, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland
Gabriel Alcoba
Institute of Global Health, Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Chemin des mines 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland; Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, 24 rue Micheli-du-Crest, Geneva 14, 1211, Switzerland; Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Rue de Lausanne 78, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
María Herrera
Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica
Henri Magloire Bofia Boyogueno
Ministère de l’Elevage, des Pêches et des Industries Animales (MINEPIA), Direction des Services Vétérinaires, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Barun Kumar Sharma
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Singhadurbar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Manish Subedi
B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Buddha Road, Dharan, 56700, Nepal
Bhupendra Shah
B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Buddha Road, Dharan, 56700, Nepal
Franck Wanda
Centre International de Recherche, d’Enseignement et de Soins en Milieu Tropical (CIRES), BP 11 Akonolinga, Cameroon
Sanjib Kumar Sharma
B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Buddha Road, Dharan, 56700, Nepal
Armand Seraphin Nkwescheu
Cameroon Society of Epidemiology (CaSE), P.O.Box 1411, Yaoundé, Cameroon; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Nicolas Ray
Institute of Global Health, Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Chemin des mines 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland; Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, 66 boulevard Carl-Vogt, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland
François Chappuis
Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, 24 rue Micheli-du-Crest, Geneva 14, 1211, Switzerland
Rafael Ruiz de Castañeda
Institute of Global Health, Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Chemin des mines 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
Snakebite envenoming is a life-threatening disease in humans and animals and a major public health issue in rural communities of South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the impact of snakebite on domestic animals has been poorly studied. This study aimed to describe the context, clinical features, treatment, and outcomes of snakebite envenoming in domestic animals in Nepal and Cameroon. Primary data on snakebite in animals were recorded from a community-based nation-wide survey on human and animal snakebite in Nepal and Cameroon (Snake-byte project). Mobile teams collected data on snakebite in humans and animals in 13,879 and 10,798 households in Nepal and Cameroon respectively from December 2018 to June 2019. This study included 405 snakebite cases (73 in Nepal and 332 in Cameroon) in multiple types of animals. An interview with a structured questionnaire collected specific information about the animal victims.Snake bites in animals took place predominantly inside and around the house or farm in Nepal (92%) and Cameroon (71%). Other frequent locations in Cameroon were field or pasture (12%). A large diversity of clinical features was reported in all types of envenomed animals. They showed either a few clinical signs (e.g., local swelling, bleeding) or a combination of multiple clinical signs. Only 9% of animal victims, mainly cattle and buffaloes and less frequently goats, sheep, and dogs, received treatment, predominantly with traditional medicine. The overall mortality of snakebite was 85% in Nepal and 87% in Cameroon.Results from this nationwide study show an important impact of snakebite on animal health in Nepal and Cameroon. There is a need for cost-effective prevention control strategies and affordable snakebite therapies in the veterinary field to save animal lives and farmer livelihood in the poorest countries of the world. The WHO global strategy to prevent and control snakebite envenoming supports a One Health approach, which may help develop integrated solutions to the snakebite problem taking into account human and animal health.
