15 Comments
Apr 12, 2023Liked by Saloni Dattani

Most interesting article I've read this month. Is the lower p(death|snakebite) in Australia simply due to greater access to antivenom meds? Are the numbers for Australia adjusted for underreporting like the #s for India?

Expand full comment
Apr 11, 2023Liked by Saloni Dattani

Really interesting article. Thank you so much saloni. My family lives in an area outside Bangalore very close to agricultural fields and often spot snakes, cobras especially.

Often wondered about the statistics around snakebites. Learnt a lot from your post

Expand full comment
Jul 19, 2023·edited Jul 19, 2023Liked by Saloni Dattani

Since you asked...

"In Australia, it’s 0.13, about thirty-eight times lower."

There is no metric for lowness. The figure for India is 38 times the number for Australia. The number for Australia is 1/38 of India's.

One can measure "high", using, e.g., ground level, or zero on the vertical scale. But what is the baseline for low?

(NB: This quibble in no way detracts from the overall excellence of the article.)

Expand full comment
Apr 13, 2023Liked by Saloni Dattani

Thank you for this - I once saw a graphic medical picture of an unfortunate Indian farmer who'd been relieving himself when he was bitten and that's why I clicked on your article - you made the numbers easier to think about and you write so well I didn't go looking for that gruesome pic instead.

Expand full comment
Apr 13, 2023Liked by Saloni Dattani

No need to apologize for infrequent content when the articles you do publish are so good!

Expand full comment

Very interesting.

What are ways that we can help with the lack of data worldwide?

Expand full comment

Really enjoyed reading this one

Expand full comment

absolutely amazing work on this one Saloni!

Expand full comment

Excellent article, but I have one question (and I'm Australian, so it's relevant).

The headline number of 2 snakebite deaths per year in Australia certainly captures the imagination, but the world map at the end states an estimated 200 - 520 deaths in Oceania. Are NZ and PNG overly prone to snakebite deaths or is the map over a longer period or how do you explain the discrepancy?

Expand full comment