This is snakebite among patients seen at Godey hospital and in which about 75.6% of cases were those under 30 years old (with mean age of 20.1 years). The finding is agreed with other reports [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 20]. The possible reason may be these age groups are active and being active may make to contact with snake.
Leg and hands are among major sites of site bitten. This is also consistent with many studies [1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 21]. The possible explanation may be because of the exposed limbs are usually used in most manual activities.
Most of cases also involved males as in several other studies. In current investigation, males affected more than females, which is in line with different studies [1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21]. The professional responsibilities of men in a main herd keeping which reflect the involvement of outdoor activities. In our study, about 91.1% of cases were from rural this is in line with[4, 5, 11, 16, 17]which may suggest the risk of bites may be higher because of more intense agricultural or herd keeping or rural people live in huts, under unsanitary conditions. Waste material, dry cow-dung, dry firewood and farm tools are often kept close to their houses. This encourages rats, mice and lizards, which are the prey of snakes [17].
During current investigation, snakebites were reported in all months of the years except January. Cases were evenly scattered throughout the year with slight majority of cases in the last quarters of the year this is in line with [5, 20].
During current investigation snakebites were more common during rainy reason a time when frogs and toads emerging from their hibernation are preyed on by snakes that by come in frequent contact with humans, or seasonal variation in the incidence of snakebite is attributed to farming activity towards rainfall and to the yearly reproductive cycle of the snake in study areas [5, 6, 20].
The proportion of fatal bites 4.4% documented in this study is higher than the finding of [5, 8, 12, 18, 21] but lower than [1, 2, 3, 6]. The main causes of deaths could be because of the delay in getting to a treatment center and the dependency on traditional healers for treatment. Lack of awareness on rapid transport of victims to treatment centers. Rapid referral to the hospital within hours of the snakebite, easy accessibility to hospital care, and availability and administration of proper doses of snake ant venom could be considered as major reasons for good prognosis in our study [18].
Health professional workings in hospitals were not familiar with the species of snake even though all bitted victims brought the snake to hospital in plastic bag for witness. This is important to know the scientific name of snake. To identify snake species is important for health professional. Ideal clinical management, because it allows clinicians to choose the proper treatment, expect complications, and therefore to improve prognosis [22, 23].
Most of the snakebite victims could not provide any description of the snake. A few identified the snakes by their local names. The local communities know how on venomous snakes, the most dangerous (as they coat it) snakes are given local names such as Abris and Abasu in Somali language as they describe it ‘most dangerous and kills within a minute after bite’.
In current study, Hospital manages cases with giving polyvalent anti-venom that is bought from EPSA, buys one vial at costs of 1000 ETB and provides for patients at prices of 300 ETB. Therefore, one patient may need more than one vial which costs more and beyond expenses of majority from rural community. This is similar with [16]. This may suggest decision makers to work on accessing of anti-venom at affordable prices for this neglected public health problem the high cost of anti-venoms considerably limited their access because the low income of the rural population the main victims of snakebites may prevented them to adhere to an unaffordable treatment.
The study is limited in that it has been conducted at a single center and important data variable was missed like (kebeles, from which patients come from and time of bites), Snakebite-related (time and place of snakebites) and evolution-related (clinical grade) not registered, the retrospective design for detailed analysis reduces the power and accuracy of the study.