Background: Snake bite has been described as one of the neglected tropical diseases by World Health Organization. Deaths due to snake bite per 100,000 population varied from 5.28 to 31.75 over 10 years in West Bengal.
Objectives: (i) To describe the socio-demographic profile of the snake bite cases admitted in a tertiary care level hospital, (ii) to assess the clinical profile of the cases, and (iii) to find out factors affecting the outcome of those cases.
Material and methods: It was a hospital-based observational study with longitudinal design conducted in the both male and female Medicine ward of Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, Burdwan. Data were collected with the help of pretested, predesigned schedule through interview of patients/patient party and hospital records. Data analysis was carried out with the help of SPSS version 22.0.
Results: Majority of patients were Hindus, general caste from rural areas. Majority were bitten by poisonous snakes (84.6%). Cure rate was associated with age, residence, literacy rate, occupation, distance from hospital, delay in care seeking, and type of snake.
Conclusion: Increase of literacy status along with intensive IEC on first aid and care seeking of snake bite may help in improving the situation.
Key words: Clinico-epidemiological study, snake bite, tertiary care hospital
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