BITES BY THE CARPET VIPER IN THE NIGER VALLEY

60 people who had been bitten by the carpet viper, Echis carinatus, were seen in four months at Zungeru Health Centre, in North West Nigeria, where snake-bite patients have recently occupied 10% of beds. Health statistics greatly underestimate the frequency, morbidity, and mortality of snake bite in the rural tropics and further studies will probably confirm other areas endemic for E. carinatuswithin its vast distribution zone. Regular supplies of effective antivenom are crucial to gain a community's confidence in conventional, as opposed to traditional, treatment. Paramedical staff in a rural clinic can be trained in the definitive management and treatment, including successful antivenom therapy, of most snake-bite patients.