Snakebite Envenomation in Rwanda: Patient Demographics, Medical Care, and Antivenom Availability in the Formal Healthcare Sector

Snakebite envenomation (SBE) is a neglected One Health issue that overwhelmingly affects people living in rural and impoverished regions of Africa and Asia. Information on SBE is scarce in Rwanda; thus, our objectives were to 1) describe the demographics of SBE patients seeking hospital care, 2) evaluate physician adherence to national treatment guidelines, and 3) assess availability of snake antivenom at hospitals in Rwanda. To achieve these goals, we obtained national data on animal bites/stings and visited every district and provincial hospital in Rwanda to obtain physical records of SBE patients treated in 2017 and 2018. Hospital pharmacies were assessed for antivenom availability. We identified snakes as the second leading cause of animal bites, after dogs, among patients who sought hospital care in 2017 and 2018. Of 363 SBE patients, the highest number of cases occurred among children (< 18 years; 32%) and young adults (18-30 years; 33%), females (61%), farmers (82%), and those living in Eastern Province (37%). Overall, physician adherence to treatment guidelines was 63%. Prescriptions of vitamin K and antivenom were low (4% and 13%, respectively), and only 8% of hospital pharmacies had antivenom in stock throughout the study period. The antivenom stocked was an Indian generic suited for Asian snakes. This minimum estimate of hospitalization cases does not include individuals who died in communities or sought care outside the formal sector. Our study highlights the need to map incidence, risk factors, and patient experiences to mitigate human-snake conflicts and improve patient outcomes.

Automated summary

Snakebite envenomation is a neglected One Health issue that mainly affects rural and impoverished regions of Africa and Asia. The study in Rwanda aimed to describe the demographics of snakebite envenomation patients seeking hospital care, evaluate physician adherence to national treatment guidelines, and assess availability of antivenom at hospitals. Results showed that snakebites were the second leading cause of animal bites among patients seeking hospital care, with children and young adults being the most affected groups. Physician adherence to treatment guidelines was moderate, and antivenom availability was low in hospitals throughout the study period.