SÃO PAULO, Brazil, CMC – The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) says countries across Latin America and the Caribbean have advanced toward a regional strategy to address the growing health burden of accidents caused by venomous animals.
From snakebites and scorpion stings to encounters with venomous spiders and caterpillars, PAHO said on Friday that these incidents claim hundreds of lives annually and leave thousands of survivors with lifelong disabilities, particularly among rural and indigenous communities.
PAHO, through its Pan American Centre for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA), and with support from the Wellcome Trust, hosted the First Regional Meeting of National Programs for Venomous Animal Accidents (REDPEVA) on Thursday and Friday at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil.
PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa addressed the meeting participants and stressed the urgent need for a unified response to avoid “preventable deaths and disabilities” caused by envenoming by venomous animals.
He said many survivors are left with permanent disabilities—such as amputations, neurological and psychological conditions—often resulting in job loss and decreased productivity.
Dr. Barbosa noted that the health and economic consequences are also significant, particularly for vulnerable populations, and place a substantial strain on public health systems.
PAHO said the statistics are “sobering.”
It stated that, in Latin America and the Caribbean, over 57,000 snakebite cases are reported annually. However, the actual number is likely higher due to underreporting in remote areas with limited access to healthcare.
According to a recent PANAFTOSA survey conducted across the Americas, including the Caribbean, cases of scorpion and spider envenoming significantly increased between 2021 and 2024—averaging 198,647 and 48,345 cases per year, respectively.
The survey indicates that snakebite and caterpillar incidents remained stable at 10.9 and 1.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, but still exceeded the figures from previous years.
Each year, snakebites alone affect 5.4 million people worldwide, killing over 80,000 and leaving three times as many with disabilities, PAHO said.
Climate change, Dr. Barbosa noted, is exacerbating the problem by shifting ecological patterns and exposing new communities to venomous species.
“This demands a coordinated and sustained regional response,” rooted in a One Health approach,” he urged, calling for collaboration across human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
PAHO stated that the REDPEVA meeting laid the groundwork for a regional roadmap with clear priorities: establishing a collaborative network to share expertise, utilizing technology to map high-risk areas, standardizing surveillance, and enhancing access to antivenom.
PAHO stated that PANAFTOSA also introduced new guidelines on snake envenoming and a virtual training course to equip healthcare workers with the critical skills necessary for managing such cases.
PAHO said this regional effort aligns with global momentum to address snakebite envenoming, recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the most lethal neglected tropical diseases.
In 2018, PAHO stated that the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging member states to reduce snakebite deaths by 50 percent by 2030.
The following year, PAHO said WHO launched its Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming.
In line with this strategy, PAHO noted that International Snakebite Awareness Day, observed annually on September 19, raises awareness about the scale and impact of snakebite envenoming, particularly in underserved communities.
PAHO said REDPEVA is the first formal technical platform for regional coordination on venomous animal accidents—” an area often overlooked in public health policy.”
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