Knowledge, Attitude and Practice regarding Snakes and Snakebite among Interns

Background: Snakebite is a global health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. India has the highest number of deaths due to snakebites in the World with 35000-50000 dying per year according to World Health Organization (WHO). Despite having this highest burden, snakebite is still a neglected topic in the global health agenda. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding snake and snakebite among the interns of J.N. Medical College, Belagavi, Karnataka. Need for the study: Knowledge regarding snakes and snakebite among interns is very important as they are exposed to such cases in casualty and rural practice. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 interns of J.N. Medical College, Belagavi, Karnataka. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge, attitude and practice after taking written informed consent. Universal sampling method was used and each intern was a study participant. Results: Most of the study participants when shown different photographs could differentiate between venomous and non-venomous snakes and their bite marks. Most common venomous snake to be identified was Spectacled Cobra while Common Krait was the least identified. About 90% of study subjects correctly differentiated between the pictures of venomous and non-venomous snakebite marks. Conclusion: In the present study, majority of the participants had basic knowledge about snake identification and snakebite. All the participant knew that there is medical treatment available for snakebite and most of them were in favour of not killing the snakes. Snakebite management should be an important part of medical curriculum.