title: [Mortality from snake bites, wild and domestic animal bites and arthropod stings in the savannah zone of eastern Senegal].
abstract: From 1976 to 1999, we conducted a prospective study of overall and cause-specific mortality among the population of 42 villages of south-eastern Senegal. Of 4,228 deaths registered during this period, 26 were brought on by snakebites, 4 by invertebrate stings and 8 by other wild or domestic animals. The average annual mortality rate from snakebite was 14 deaths per 100,000 population. Among persons aged 1 year or more, 0.9% (26/2,880) of deaths were caused by snakebite and this cause represented 28% (26/94) of the total number of deaths by accident. We also investigated the snake fauna of the area. Of 1,280 snakes belonging to 34 species that were collected, one-third were dangerous and the proportion of Viperidae, Elapidae and Atractaspididae was 23%, 11% and 0.6%, respectively. The saw-scaled viper Echis ocellatus was the most abundant species (13.6%). Other venomous species were Causus maculatus (6.5%), Naja katiensis (5.5%), Bitis arietans (2.7%), Elapsoidea trapei (2.4%), Naja nigricollis (1.2%), Naja melanoleuca (1.1%), Atractaspis aterrima (0.4%), Dendroaspis polylepis (0.3%) and Naja haje (0.1%).
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de paludologie, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), B. P. 1 386, Dakar, Sénégal. trape@ird.sn
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Trape
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pison
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guyavarch
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mane
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001181:Arthropods; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012621:Seasons; D012675:Senegal / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012909:Snake Bites / Q000401:mortality*; D012911:Snakes / Q000145:classification