Snakebite victim profiles and treatment-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya: results from a health demographic surveillance system
Abstract Introduction Snakebites are a major cause of permanent injury and death among poor, rural populations in developing countries, including those in East Africa. This research characterizes snakebite incidence, risk factors, and subsequent health-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya using...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:47dee6f6c974479a9ebd122b7c57b325 2023-05-15T15:18:05+02:00 Snakebite victim profiles and treatment-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya: results from a health demographic surveillance system Peter S. Larson Morris Ndemwa Aleksandra F. Thomas Noriko Tamari Paul Diela Mwatasa Changoma Abdullatif Mohamed Miles C. Larson Kaan Cem Ketenci Kensuke Goto Satoshi Kaneko 2022-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-022-00421-8 https://doaj.org/article/47dee6f6c974479a9ebd122b7c57b325 EN eng BMC https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-022-00421-8 https://doaj.org/toc/1349-4147 doi:10.1186/s41182-022-00421-8 1349-4147 https://doaj.org/article/47dee6f6c974479a9ebd122b7c57b325 Tropical Medicine and Health, Vol 50, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2022) Snakebite Snake Kenya Health-seeking behaviors Traditional treatments Venomous animals Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-022-00421-8 2022-12-30T22:21:10Z Abstract Introduction Snakebites are a major cause of permanent injury and death among poor, rural populations in developing countries, including those in East Africa. This research characterizes snakebite incidence, risk factors, and subsequent health-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya using a mixed methods approach. Methods As a part of regular activities of a health demographic surveillance system, household-level survey on snakebite incidence was conducted in two areas of Kenya: Kwale along the Kenyan Coast and Mbita on Lake Victoria. If someone in the home was reported to have been bitten in the 5 years previous to the visit, a survey instrument was administered. The survey gathered contextual information on the bite, treatment-seeking behavior and clinical manifestations. To obtain deeper, contextual information, respondents were also asked to narrate the bite incident, subsequent behavior and outcomes. Results 8775 and 9206 households were surveyed in Kwale and Mbita, respectively. Out of these, 453 (5.17%) and 92 (1.00%) households reported that at least one person had been bitten by a snake in the past 5 years. Deaths from snakebites were rare (4.04%), but patterns of treatment seeking varied. Treatment at formal care facilities were sought for 50.8% and at traditional healers for 53.3%. 18.4% sought treatment from both sources. Victims who delayed receiving treatment from a formal facility were more likely to have consulted a traditional healer (OR 8.8995% CI [3.83, 20.64]). Delays in treatment seeking were associated with significantly increased odds of having a severe outcome, including death, paralysis or loss of consciousness (OR 3.47 95% CI [1.56; 7.70]). Conclusion Snakebite incidence and outcomes vary by region in Kenya, and treatment-seeking behaviors are complex. Work needs to be done to better characterize the spatial distribution of snakebite incidence in Kenya and efforts need to be made to ensure that victims have sufficient access to effective treatments to prevent death and ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Tropical Medicine and Health 50 1 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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English |
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Snakebite Snake Kenya Health-seeking behaviors Traditional treatments Venomous animals Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 |
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Snakebite Snake Kenya Health-seeking behaviors Traditional treatments Venomous animals Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Peter S. Larson Morris Ndemwa Aleksandra F. Thomas Noriko Tamari Paul Diela Mwatasa Changoma Abdullatif Mohamed Miles C. Larson Kaan Cem Ketenci Kensuke Goto Satoshi Kaneko Snakebite victim profiles and treatment-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya: results from a health demographic surveillance system |
topic_facet |
Snakebite Snake Kenya Health-seeking behaviors Traditional treatments Venomous animals Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 |
description |
Abstract Introduction Snakebites are a major cause of permanent injury and death among poor, rural populations in developing countries, including those in East Africa. This research characterizes snakebite incidence, risk factors, and subsequent health-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya using a mixed methods approach. Methods As a part of regular activities of a health demographic surveillance system, household-level survey on snakebite incidence was conducted in two areas of Kenya: Kwale along the Kenyan Coast and Mbita on Lake Victoria. If someone in the home was reported to have been bitten in the 5 years previous to the visit, a survey instrument was administered. The survey gathered contextual information on the bite, treatment-seeking behavior and clinical manifestations. To obtain deeper, contextual information, respondents were also asked to narrate the bite incident, subsequent behavior and outcomes. Results 8775 and 9206 households were surveyed in Kwale and Mbita, respectively. Out of these, 453 (5.17%) and 92 (1.00%) households reported that at least one person had been bitten by a snake in the past 5 years. Deaths from snakebites were rare (4.04%), but patterns of treatment seeking varied. Treatment at formal care facilities were sought for 50.8% and at traditional healers for 53.3%. 18.4% sought treatment from both sources. Victims who delayed receiving treatment from a formal facility were more likely to have consulted a traditional healer (OR 8.8995% CI [3.83, 20.64]). Delays in treatment seeking were associated with significantly increased odds of having a severe outcome, including death, paralysis or loss of consciousness (OR 3.47 95% CI [1.56; 7.70]). Conclusion Snakebite incidence and outcomes vary by region in Kenya, and treatment-seeking behaviors are complex. Work needs to be done to better characterize the spatial distribution of snakebite incidence in Kenya and efforts need to be made to ensure that victims have sufficient access to effective treatments to prevent death and ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Peter S. Larson Morris Ndemwa Aleksandra F. Thomas Noriko Tamari Paul Diela Mwatasa Changoma Abdullatif Mohamed Miles C. Larson Kaan Cem Ketenci Kensuke Goto Satoshi Kaneko |
author_facet |
Peter S. Larson Morris Ndemwa Aleksandra F. Thomas Noriko Tamari Paul Diela Mwatasa Changoma Abdullatif Mohamed Miles C. Larson Kaan Cem Ketenci Kensuke Goto Satoshi Kaneko |
author_sort |
Peter S. Larson |
title |
Snakebite victim profiles and treatment-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya: results from a health demographic surveillance system |
title_short |
Snakebite victim profiles and treatment-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya: results from a health demographic surveillance system |
title_full |
Snakebite victim profiles and treatment-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya: results from a health demographic surveillance system |
title_fullStr |
Snakebite victim profiles and treatment-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya: results from a health demographic surveillance system |
title_full_unstemmed |
Snakebite victim profiles and treatment-seeking behaviors in two regions of Kenya: results from a health demographic surveillance system |
title_sort |
snakebite victim profiles and treatment-seeking behaviors in two regions of kenya: results from a health demographic surveillance system |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-022-00421-8 https://doaj.org/article/47dee6f6c974479a9ebd122b7c57b325 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
Tropical Medicine and Health, Vol 50, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-022-00421-8 https://doaj.org/toc/1349-4147 doi:10.1186/s41182-022-00421-8 1349-4147 https://doaj.org/article/47dee6f6c974479a9ebd122b7c57b325 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-022-00421-8 |
container_title |
Tropical Medicine and Health |
container_volume |
50 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1766348311445372928 |