Dealing with snakebite in rural Cameroon: A qualitative investigation among victims and traditional healers

Uniting behind a common goal: Collaboration between traditional healers and allopathic health care workers to improve rural snakebite care

“…The share of the population reaching out to traditional forms of healthcare varies largely per country and region ( Ediriweera et al, 2017 ; James et al, 2018 ; Pengpid and Peltzer, 2021 ; Snow et al, 1994 ). Quantifying the exact extent of traditional healthcare utilization is difficult, in part because patients are loath to disclose consultations with THs ( James et al, 2018 ; Schioldann et al, 2018 ; Chuat et al, 2021 ). Nonetheless, it is worthwhile reporting available estimates to highlight how common it is.…”

“…A community survey in Sri Lanka found seeking allopathic healthcare was associated with travelling longer distances than receiving aid from THs ( Ediriweera et al, 2017 ). This issue was also raised by community members in Myanmar ( Schioldann et al, 2018 ) and echoed by snakebite patients in India and Cameroon, who reported that flooded rivers, poor roads and lack of transport impeded their trip to hospitals ( Chuat et al, 2021 ; Armstrong et al, 2019 ). The geographic accessibility of THs is not only reflected in their physical proximity to affected communities, but also in terms of the time it takes for snake-bitten patients to seek care: Snow et al (1994) report data from a community survey in Kenya, in which 82% of patients who consulted THs managed to do so within 1 hour following the bite.…”

“…Hospital-based healthcare can be immensely expensive, relative to the financial means of snakebite patients, particularly if antivenom, surgery and prolonged admission is necessary ( Brown, 2012 ; Kasturiratne et al, 2017 ; Magalhães et al, 2020 ). Meanwhile, healers are often said to charge little to nothing and offer alternative methods of payment, such as paying in kind or in labor, that are favorable to patients ( Schioldann et al, 2018 ; Chuat et al, 2021 ; Steinhorst et al, 2021 ; Schurer et al, 2022 ). Even if patients prefer hospital-over traditional care, the costs remain a decisive variable in the care-seeking decision process.…”

“Then they prayed, they did nothing else, they just prayed for the boy and he was well”: A qualitative investigation into the perceptions and behaviours surrounding snakebite and its management in rural communities of Kitui county, Kenya

“…Reducing the burden of snakebites requires preventing them from occurring in the first place and managing them effectively when they do occur. Previous studies have revealed a delay in seeking hospital treatment following a snakebite, with patients using traditional early intervention measures such as tourniquets, incision at the bite site, ingestion of medicinal herbs or application of the black stone [9,10]. Some victims use these remedies at home while others prefer to consult traditional healers with experience in assisting snakebite victims.…”

Global mortality of snakebite envenoming between 1990 and 2019

“…The supply of antivenom is inadequate in sub-Saharan Africa and the cost for a dose is often prohibitively expensive, leaving victims of snakebite envenomation without treatment options 22 . Many of the countries with the highest burden of snakebite envenoming in sub-Saharan Africa are also those recently or currently in the midst of conflicts and humanitarian crises that increase outdoor exposure and disrupt the health system’s capacity for surveillance and treatment 21 , 23 . For example, Somalia (4.5 deaths per 100,000), Central African Republic (3.4 deaths per 100,000), Eritrea (2.9 deaths per 100,000), Chad (2.6 per 100,000), and South Sudan (2.3 deaths per 100,000) have some of the highest mortality rates globally.…”