Dangers HereSnakebite: the neglected killer, and what actually helps
Snakebite kills upwards of a hundred thousand people a year, overwhelmingly agricultural workers in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa rather than travellers. For a visitor the risk is low, but the first-aid advice that circulates is mostly wrong, and the wrong response makes outcomes worse.
- 10High risk
- 0Medium
- 0Low
- 10Zones tracked
What not to do
Do not cut the wound. Do not try to suck out venom. Do not apply a tourniquet — it concentrates venom and costs limbs. Do not apply ice, electric shocks or alcohol. Do not try to catch or kill the snake; a photograph from a safe distance is useful, a second bite is not. These interventions persist in folklore and in films, and every one of them causes harm.
What does help
Keep the person calm and still, immobilise the bitten limb at or below heart level, remove rings and watches before swelling starts, and get to a hospital with antivenom as fast as possible. In Australia, where elapid venoms dominate, pressure immobilisation bandaging of the whole limb is the standard and is taught as such.
How to avoid it
- Wear boots and long trousers on trails, in grass and in scrub — most bites are below the knee.
- Use a torch at night; a large share of bites happen to people walking after dark.
- Never put hands or feet where you cannot see — under rocks, logs, or into crevices.
- Shake out boots, bedding and bags in rural accommodation.
- Back away from any snake you see; almost all bites follow an attempt to handle, move or kill one.
- Know the location of the nearest hospital with antivenom before trekking remotely.
Where we track it
10 zones in the Dangers Here hazard database, by danger level.
High
- Amazon Rainforest
- Central America
- India
- Indian Subcontinent — Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan
- Mexico
- Northern Australia
- Papua New Guinea
- South Africa
- Southeast Asia — Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Questions
Where are venomous snakes a risk?
We track 10 zones for this hazard. 10 are rated high risk, including Amazon Rainforest, Central America, India, Indian Subcontinent — Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Mexico. 0 are rated medium and 0 low.
How do you avoid venomous snakes?
Wear boots and long trousers on trails, in grass and in scrub — most bites are below the knee. Use a torch at night; a large share of bites happen to people walking after dark. Never put hands or feet where you cannot see — under rocks, logs, or into crevices.
What not to do
Do not cut the wound. Do not try to suck out venom. Do not apply a tourniquet — it concentrates venom and costs limbs. Do not apply ice, electric shocks or alcohol. Do not try to catch or kill the snake; a photograph from a safe distance is useful, a second bite is not. These interventions persist in folklore and in films, and every one of them causes harm.
Get the alerts on your phone
Dangers Here warns you when you enter a hazard zone — even offline, even with the app closed. No account, no tracking, free.
Other hazards
- Africanised bees
- Bears
- Crocodiles
- Getting lost
- Giant hogweed
- Heatwaves
- Hippos
- Jellyfish
- Landmines & UXO
- Landslides
- Manchineel tree
- Methanol poisoning
- Mosquitoes
- Mugging & street robbery
- Oak processionary moth
- Pickpockets
- Quicksand
- Rip currents
- Sea snakes
- Sharks
- Sharp coral
- Shore break
- Sinkholes
- Stonefish
- Ticks
- Tsunami
- Underwater caves
- Venomous spiders
- Weever fish
- Wolves