Oral Presentation: 15 minutes 11th Asia-Pacific Congress of the International Society on Toxinology 2021

Epidemiology and risk factors for snake bites in Colombia, 2007 - 2019. (#43)

Karen Sarmiento 1 , Ivonne Torres 2 , Julian Salazar 2 , Daniela Sofia Beltrán 2 , Valentina Di martino 2 , María Luisa Zambrano 2 , Jorge Zambrano 3 , Elsa Carolina Ríos 4
  1. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Bogotá DC, Colombia
  2. Facultad de Medicina , Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
  3. Escuela de Ciencias Agrícolas, Pecuarias y de Medio Ambiente , Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia , Bogotá, Colombia
  4. Departamento de cirugía cardiaca, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda, Majadahonda, Madrid , España

Objective To describe the main epidemiological features of snakebites in Colombia during the period 2007 to 2019. Methods A retrospective (quantitative) descriptive analytical empirical study was carried out, based on the official databases of the Public Health Surveillance in the Integral Information System of the Social Protection (SISPRO) of the reported cases of snakebites in Colombia for that period, and contrasted with the Surveillance System in Public Health (Sivigila). Results: 49,916 reports of cases of snakebites were found in the SISPRO database. It was found that workers in the agricultural sector residing in rural areas have a risk of presenting an ophidian accident 3.23 times higher (CI: 2.98 - 3.5) than the rest of the population (p <0.05). When analyzing by age, a 1.02 times greater probability of involvement by snakebites (CI: 0.97–1.06) was found in individuals between 15 and 64 years with a subsidized regimen. Similarly, it was found that the male population older than 15 years dedicated to agricultural work presented a probability of being affected by snakebites 7 times higher (CI 6.3 - 7.5) compared to the rest of the population (<0,05). Amazon and Orinoquía regions have a 5 times higher risk level (CI: 3.6-5.4) of suffering from an ophidian accident against to the inhabitants of the other regions of Colombia. The vulnerable population were 6,182 cases (12.3%), of which 4,845 (78%) corresponded to the indigenous population, 786 displaced persons (13%), 200 immigrants (3%), pregnant women 152 (2%), victims of armed violence 110 (2%), child population in charge of ICBF 66 (1%) and 23 demobilized (1%). A progressive increase in the reporting of cases was observed during the study period. Conclusions Results underscore the relevance of snakebite envenoming in Colombia, and provide information for improving the public health attention to these envenoming.