Table 5. Comparison of actual reported cases and perceptual characteristics of snakebite victims and incidences based on household surveys (HR; *nmax = 857 cases) and traditional medical practitioners (TMP; **n = 24 respondents’ perceptions, not cases; ***n = 42 and 65 cases), respectively among 1,000 community members and 24 TMPs, interviewed in the Savelugu-Nanton District of northern Ghana (Dec 2008-May 2009).
For perception of best treatment, n* = 1000 cases.
| Respondent variable (n = responses) |
Sub-group variable | Survey frequency (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Household | TMP | ||
| Gender (*n = 833; **n = 24) |
Male | 584 (70.1) | 22 (91.7) |
| Female | 249 (29.9) | 2 (8.3) | |
| Age-group of victim (*n = 412; **n = 24) |
15–30 years | 222 (53.9) | 13 (54.2) |
| >30 years | 146 (35.4) | 10 (41.6) | |
| <15 years | 44 (10.7) | 1 (4.2) | |
| Day time hours of snakebite (*n = 828; **n = 24) |
Morning | 334 (40.3) | 11 (45.8) |
| Afternoon | 315 (38.0) | 10 (41.7) | |
| Evening and night | 179 (21.6) | 3 (12.5) | |
| Season of snakebite (*n = 857; **n = 24) |
Rainy season | 610 (71.2) | 20 (83.3) |
| Dry season | 247 (28.8) | 4 (16.7) | |
| Habitat location of snakebite (*n = 670; **n = 24) |
Farmlands | 543 (81.0) | 16 (66.6) |
| Bushes | 56 (8.4) | 7 (29.2) | |
| House and yards | 54 (8.1) | - | |
| Paths and roads | 5 (0.7) | 1 (4.2) | |
| School facilities | 9 (1.3) | - | |
| Open city drains | 3 (0.5) | - | |
| Position of snakebite infliction (*n = 828; **n = 24) |
Legs and feet | 540 (65.2) | 19 (79.2) |
| Arms and hands | 280 (33.8) | 5 (20.8) | |
| Head | 7 (0.8) | - | |
| Trunk | 1 (0.1) | - | |
| Symptoms most often reported (*n = 821; ***n = 42) |
Swelling | 431 (52.5) | 14 (33.3) |
| Bleeding | 320 (38.9) | 20 (47.6) | |
| Local pain | 67 (8.2) | - | |
| Dizziness | 3 (0.4) | - | |
| Blood spitting | - | 4 (9.5) | |
| Sweating | - | 2 (4.8) | |
| Shivering | - | 2 (4.8) | |
| Likely causal snake species (***n = 65) |
Carpet Viper |
n/a |
23 (35.4) |
| Night Adder | 17 (26.2) | ||
| Black-necked Spitting Cobra | 13 (20.0) | ||
| Puff Adder/other Bitis sp. | 8 (12.2) | ||
| Grass snakes/Psammophis sp. | 4 (6.2) | ||
| Treatment methods (*n = 655; **n = 24) |
Hospital | 392 (59.8) | - |
| TMP | 262 (40.0) | 24 (100.0) | |
| Self-help | 1 (0.2) | - | |
| Preferred treatment | Hospital | 798 (79.8) | n/a |
| (*n = 1,000 respondents) | TMP | 196 (19.6) | |
| Self-help | 6 (0.6) | ||
*Household survey (HR): For cases where total responses ntot < 857, are explained by failure of respondents to recall details (see Methods).