ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2017
Health seeking behavior following snakebites in Sri Lanka: Results of an island wide community based survey.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing knowledge and awareness regarding snakebite and management of snakebite envenoming in healthcare workers and the general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Pooled it
- Global systematic review of cost of illness and economic evaluation studies associated with snakebite.Journal of global health · 2020Pooled it
- Predictors of ambulance transport to first health facility among injured patients in southern Sri Lanka.PloS one · 2021Trial
- Mortality due to snakebite and other venomous animals in the Indian state of Bihar: Findings from a representative mortality study.PloS one · 2018Trial
- Estimates of global burden of snakebite: A literature review and geostatistical modelling study.PLoS medicine · 2026Review
- First-aid practices and pre-hospital care in paediatric snakebites.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Effects of global change on snakebite envenoming incidence up to 2050: a modelling assessment.The Lancet. Planetary health · 2024Article
- Barriers and enablers of community engagement practices for the prevention of snakebite envenoming in South Asia: A qualitative exploratory study.Toxicon: X · 2023Article
- Uniting behind a common goal: Collaboration between traditional healers and allopathic health care workers to improve rural snakebite care.Toxicon: X · 2022Article
- Disentangling snakebite dynamics in Colombia: How does rainfall and temperature drive snakebite temporal patterns?PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Article
- Assessment of snakebite management practices at Meserani Juu in Monduli District, Northern Tanzania.PloS one · 2022Article
- Addressing the global snakebite crisis with geo-spatial analyses - Recent advances and future direction.Toxicon: X · 2021Article
- Article
- Chronic health effects and cost of snakebite.Toxicon: X · 2021Article
- 'The medicine is not for sale': Practices of traditional healers in snakebite envenoming in Ghana.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Article
- Snakebite Envenoming Diagnosis and Diagnostics.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Review
- Time delays in treatment of snakebite patients in rural Sri Lanka and the need for rapid diagnostic tests.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Article
- Knowledge of health workers on snakes and snakebite management and treatment seeking behavior of snakebite victims in Bhutan.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Article
- Inadequate knowledge about snakebite envenoming symptoms and application of harmful first aid methods in the community in high snakebite incidence areas of Myanmar.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2019Article
- Adjusting for spatial variation when assessing individual-level risk: A case-study in the epidemiology of snake-bite in Sri Lanka.PloS one · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSri Lanka has a population of 21 million and about 80,000 snakebites occur annually. However, there are limited data on health seeking behavior following bites. We investigated the effects of snakebite and envenoming on health seeking behavior in Sri Lanka.
methodsIn a community-based island-wide survey conducted in Sri Lanka 44,136 households were sampled using a multistage cluster sampling method. An individual who reported experiencing a snakebite within the preceding 12 months was considered a case. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain details of the bite and health seeking behavior among cases.
resultsAmong 165,665 individuals surveyed, there were 695 snakebite victims. 682 (98.1%) had sought health care after the bite; 381 (54.8%) sought allopathic treatment and 301 (43.3%) sought traditional treatment. 323 (46.5%) had evidence of probable envenoming, among them 227 (70.3%) sought allopathic treatment, 94 (29.1%) sought traditional treatment and 2 did not seek treatment. There was wide geographic variation in the proportion of seeking allopathic treatment from <20% in the Western province to > 90% in the Northern province. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that seeking allopathic treatment was independently associated with being systemically envenomed (Odds Ratio = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.36-2.90, P < 0.001), distance to the healthcare facility (OR = 1.13 per kilometer, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.17, P < 0.001), time duration from the bite (OR = 0.49 per day, 95% CI: 0.29-0.74, P = 0.002), and the local incidence of envenoming (OR = 1.31 for each 50 per 100,000, 95% CI: 1.19-1.46, P < 0.001) and snakebite (OR = 0.90 for each 50 per 100,000, 95% CI: 0.85-0.94, P < 0.001) in the relevant geographic area.
conclusionsIn Sri Lanka, both allopathic and traditional treatments are sought following snakebite. The presence of probable envenoming was a major contribution to seeking allopathic treatment.
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