Citation

Lallie H, Hami H, Soulaymani A, Chafiq F, Mokhtari A, Soulaymani R. Med. Trop. (Mars) 2011; 71(3): 267-271.

Vernacular Title

Epidemiologie des envenimations ophidiennes au Maroc.

Affiliation

Laboratoire de Génétique et Biométrie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Ibn Tofail, Kénitra, Maroc. hermannlallie@hotmail.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Ecole De Sante)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

21870555

Abstract

This study was based on a retrospective descriptive analysis of all cases of snakebite recorded at the Poison Control and Pharmacovigilance Center of Morocco from 1980 to 2008. A total of 1,761 snakebites, i.e., 61 cases per year, were observed during the study period. Males accounted for 54.5% of victims (sex ratio (M/F) = 1.2) and 70% of cases occurred in rural areas. The average age of snakebite victims was 26.7 +/- 17.5 years. A seasonal snakebite peak was observed between May and August coinciding with the warmest period of the year, harvest time and snake migration. Sixty-two percent of patients presented clinical symptoms including respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological and mucocutaneous signs. The average fatality rate was 7.2% per year and the sequel rate was up to 1.04%. This study demonstrates that management of snakebite is problematic in Morocco. Morbidity was probably underestimated. Restricted access to antivenom is a major problem in rural areas where the population cannot afford the cost.

Language: fr