ObjectivesBrazil is home to large variety of snake species, of which about 17% are venomous. A large proportion of reported snakebite accidents in the country take place in northeast Brazil. We aimed to analyse the epidemiology of snakebites as a public health concern in Rio Grande do Norte state.MethodsA retrospective epidemiologic analysis was performed using data from the Brazilian Case Registry Database pertaining to the period 2007–2016, and considering environmental climate characteristics as an influential factor.ResultsA number of 3909 cases were reported in total. Among those cases, 58% involved venomous species and more than 80% of these were caused by Bothrops species. An association between environmental characteristics and the incidence of reported cases was found. The Borborema Potiguar region was the most affected area. Apart from that, deficiencies in managing the victims were described.ConclusionThis study highlights snakebite accidents as a public health concern in Rio Grande do Norte state. Snake bites are most likely being influenced by climate change and human activities. Continuous training of involved medical personnel could help optimise patient care and avoid under reporting in the accident reporting system.

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This study compared the consumption of animal protein and food sharing among fishers' and non-fishers' families of the northeastern Brazilian coast. The diet of these families was registered through the 24-hour-recall method during 10 consecutive days in January (good fishing season) and June (bad fishing season) 2012. Fish consumption was not different between the fishers' and non-fishers' families, but varied according to fisheries productivity to both groups. Likewise, food sharing was not different between the two groups, but food was shared more often when fisheries were productive. Local availability of fish, more than a direct dependency on fisheries, determines local patterns of animal protein consumption, but a direct dependency on fisheries exposes families to a lower-quality diet in less-productive seasons. As such, fisheries could shape and affect the livelihoods of coastal villages, including fishers' and non-fishers' families.

Schools are inseparable from communities, and learning should empower students and the community to think and act on issues that affect them. In the semiarid Brazilian Caatinga, snake bites are a health issue. Negative beliefs and poor knowledge about snakes seed harmful attitudes, leading to high frequencies of snake bites and problems to conservation of these animals. Thus, we question whether the development of scientific and environmental education content using teaching strategies that valued the prior knowledge of local communities and context-related information could help to overcome beliefs and reduce accidents. The evaluation of this content showed positive changes in the perception of snakes and in the acquisition of new knowledge about these animals, and of prevention and post-bite actions, indicating that the adopted strategy supports science learning, contributing to both public health and conservation of snakes.

Background Ethnozoology comprehends human interactions with animals, including their knowledge, meaning, and use by societies. In this sense and from the point of view of the human relationship with snakes, this study had the objectives to describe and analyse the level of Ethnozoological knowledge of snakebite accident victims in the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil. Methods The accident records were accessed through case notifications registered in the SINAN between 2007 and 2016 in the Borborema Potiguar Microregion of Rio Grande do Norte State, specifically in the municipality of Santa Cruz, which was identified as a risk area. An effort was made to locate the snakebite accident victims during this period. Next, a semi-structured questionnaire was applied through an interview to identify the characteristics of the accident, record the victim’s perception of the snake and the accident, their daily life, as well as positive and negative attitudes towards snake conservation and knowledge about species. Information about the possible uses of traditional treatment, allopathic care characteristics along with the symptoms and sequelae resulting from the accident were also recorded. Results The most relevant characteristics detected in these accidents were the strong influence of myths about traditional treatment and the knowledge about identifying common snake species in the region. No perception was detected about the importance of these animals, but there were negative attitudes when finding a snake, thus constituting facts which may be related to the deficiency in the education level of this population which is interfering in environmental and public health issues. Conclusion Work on improving the knowledge and local perception could subsidize actions and policies aimed to prevent accidents, demystify snakes and contribute to the conservation of the species.