• H Lallie, H Hami, A Soulaymani, F Chafiq, A Mokhtari, and R Soulaymani.
• Laboratoire de Génétique et Biométrie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Ibn Tofail, Kénitra, Maroc. hermannlallie@hotmail.com
• Med Trop (Mars). 2011 Jun 1; 71 (3): 267-71.

AbstractThis study was based on a retrospective descriptive analysis of all cases of snakebite recorded at the Poison Control and Pharmacovigilance Center of Morocco from 1980 to 2008. A total of 1,761 snakebites, i.e., 61 cases per year, were observed during the study period. Males accounted for 54.5% of victims (sex ratio (M/F) = 1.2) and 70% of cases occurred in rural areas. The average age of snakebite victims was 26.7 +/- 17.5 years. A seasonal snakebite peak was observed between May and August coinciding with the warmest period of the year, harvest time and snake migration. Sixty-two percent of patients presented clinical symptoms including respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological and mucocutaneous signs. The average fatality rate was 7.2% per year and the sequel rate was up to 1.04%. This study demonstrates that management of snakebite is problematic in Morocco. Morbidity was probably underestimated. Restricted access to antivenom is a major problem in rural areas where the population cannot afford the cost.

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