Countries across Latin America and the Caribbean have taken a major step toward a regional strategy to address the growing health burden of accidents caused by venomous animals. From snakebites and scorpion stings to encounters with venomous spiders and caterpillars, these incidents claim hundreds of lives each year and leave thousands of survivors with lifelong disabilities, particularly in rural and indigenous communities.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), through its Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA), and with support from the Wellcome Trust, hosted the First Regional Meeting of National Programs for Venomous Animal Accidents (REDPEVA) on August 21–22 at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil.
In a video address to participants, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO, stressed the urgent need for a unified response to avoid “preventable deaths and disabilities” caused by envenoming by venomous animals.
Many survivors are left with permanent disabilities—including amputations, neurological conditions, and psychological effects—that often lead to job loss and reduced productivity. The consequences are both health-related and economic, placing added strain on already stretched public health systems.
A silent and underreported threat
In Latin America and the Caribbean, over 57,000 snakebite cases are reported annually, though the actual number is likely higher due to underreporting in remote areas with limited access to healthcare.
A recent PANAFTOSA survey found that scorpion and spider envenoming cases rose significantly between 2021 and 2024, averaging 198,647 and 48,345 cases per year, respectively. Snakebite and caterpillar incidents remained stable at 10.9 and 1.2 per 100,000 inhabitants but still exceeded figures from previous years.
Globally, snakebites alone affect 5.4 million people each year, causing over 80,000 deaths and leaving three times as many with lasting disabilities.
Climate change is further intensifying risks by altering ecological patterns and exposing new communities to venomous species. “This demands a coordinated and sustained regional response, rooted in a One Health approach,” Dr. Barbosa noted, calling for collaboration across human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
REDPEVA: Building a roadmap
The REDPEVA meeting set the stage for a regional action plan with clear priorities: creating a collaborative network to share expertise, using technology to map high-risk areas, standardizing surveillance systems, and improving access to antivenoms.
PANAFTOSA also introduced new guidelines on snake envenoming and unveiled a virtual training course to prepare healthcare workers with critical response skills.
This regional effort builds on global momentum. In 2018, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution urging member states to cut snakebite deaths by 50% by 2030, followed by the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming in 2019. International Snakebite Awareness Day, observed on September 19, continues to highlight the scale of the problem, especially in underserved communities.
REDPEVA now stands as the first formal technical platform for regional coordination on venomous animal accidents—an area long overlooked in public health policy.
