{"id":1923,"date":"2026-10-27T18:16:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T18:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/27\/nigeria-records-43000-snakebites-2500-deaths-yearly\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T18:16:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T18:16:31","slug":"nigeria-records-43000-snakebites-2500-deaths-yearly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/27\/nigeria-records-43000-snakebites-2500-deaths-yearly\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria records 43,000 snakebites, 2,500 deaths yearly"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nigeria<\/p>\n

Experts have urged residents to avoid handling snakes and seek prompt medical attention for snakebites, as Nigeria records an estimated 43,000 cases annually.<\/p>\n

The \u200b\u200c\u200d\u200d\u200d\u200d\u2060\u2060\u200d\u200c\u200c\u200d\u200d\u2060\u200c\u200b\u200c\u200c\u200bcases reportedly result in between 1,099 and 2,500 deaths yearly.<\/p>\n

The experts gave the advice at a national training workshop on snakebite handling, treatment and management at the Lekki Conservation Centre, Lagos, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

A medical expert, Abubakar Ballah, described snakebite as a neglected tropical disease, identifying the carpet viper as responsible for about 66 per cent of snakebite deaths in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Ballah cited the World Health Organisation estimates of 5.4 million snakebites globally each year, resulting in 81,000 to 138,000 deaths and about 400,000 cases of permanent disability.<\/p>\n

He identified Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi, Benue and Taraba as major snakebite-endemic states, particularly within the Niger-Benue trough and Sudan Savanna.<\/p>\n

According to him, farmers, herders, children and hunters are among the most vulnerable, with cases often peaking during farming, rainy and harvest seasons.<\/p>\n

Ballah identified the carpet viper, puff adder and black-necked spitting cobra as Nigeria\u2019s three medically important snakes.<\/p>\n

He said their venom could cause severe bleeding, tissue destruction, kidney injury, neurological complications and respiratory paralysis.<\/p>\n

He warned that delayed hospital presentation and harmful first aid could worsen patients\u2019 conditions.<\/p>\n

He said such practices include applying tight tourniquets, cutting bite wounds, using animal dung and resorting to traditional remedies.<\/p>\n

Citing clinical cases, Ballah said some patients died following delayed treatment and harmful first aid, while others recovered after early hospital presentation and appropriate care.<\/p>\n

He identified the high cost of antivenom, poor healthcare access, bad roads and inadequate blood bank services as factors contributing to snakebite deaths.<\/p>\n

According to him, antivenom costs between \u20a6170,000 and \u20a6250,000 per vial.<\/p>\n

Ballah stressed that trained healthcare personnel should administer antivenom when clinically indicated and monitor patients for allergic reactions and other complications.<\/p>\n

He called for quality antivenom supplies, proper storage, improved referral systems and community education to reduce snakebite-related deaths.<\/p>\n

In a separate presentation titled \u201cDangerous Snakes of Lagos State, Nigeria,\u201d wildlife conservation expert, Dr Mark Ofua, advised residents against attempting to catch, kill or handle snakes.<\/p>\n

Ofua said snake encounters could occur in mangroves, swamps, farms, gardens, building sites, drains, compounds and stores.<\/p>\n

He urged residents to exercise caution in such environments and leave snake handling to trained personnel equipped with appropriate tools.<\/p>\n

He identified the puff adder, black-necked spitting cobra, forest cobra, green mamba and Gaboon viper among species requiring particular attention in Lagos.<\/p>\n

Ofua also discussed the boomslang and carpet viper, noting that the presence of some species, particularly the carpet viper, required confirmation through local records.<\/p>\n

He cautioned residents against identifying dangerous snakes solely by their head shape, pupils, colour or size.<\/p>\n

He noted that some venomous species could be difficult to recognise and that protective equipment did not eliminate the risk of bites.<\/p>\n

Ofua advised suspected snakebite victims to remain calm and still, immobilise the affected limb, remove tight items and seek immediate medical attention.<\/p>\n

He warned against cutting or sucking bite wounds, applying tourniquets, using traditional remedies or attempting to chase and kill the snake.<\/p>\n

For venom spat into the eyes, he recommended immediate and prolonged irrigation with water.<\/p>\n

Both experts emphasised public awareness, prompt hospital treatment and safer interactions with wildlife as essential measures to reduce snakebite injuries and deaths.<\/p>\n

Earlier, the Director-General of NCF, Dr Joseph Onoja, said snakes played important roles in biodiversity and ecosystem balance.<\/p>\n

Onoja said snakes help control rodent populations, warning that unchecked rodent increases could heighten the risk of infections such as Lassa fever.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt becomes important that we learn to live as one in harmony with nature and more specifically snakes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The two-day national training workshop, scheduled for Oct. 27 and 28, focuses on improving snakebite handling, treatment and management.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

The post Nigeria records 43,000 snakebites, 2,500 deaths yearly<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source: <\/p>\n

Vanguard News<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experts have urged residents to avoid handling snakes and seek prompt medical attention for snakebites, as Nigeria records an estimated 43,000 cases annually. The \u200b\u200c\u200d\u200d\u200d\u200d\u2060\u2060\u200d\u200c\u200c\u200d\u200d\u2060\u200c\u200b\u200c\u200c\u200bcases reportedly result in between 1,099… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1924,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}