Snake-bite is an occupational disease of farmers, plantation workers, herdsmen, fishermen, snake restaurant workers, and other food producers. It is, therefore, a medical problem that has important implications for the nutrition and economy of the countries where it occurs commonly. It is recommended that snake-bite should be formally recognized as an important occupational disease in the South East Asian region.
Snakebite envenoming is a potentially life-threatening disease that typically results from the injection of a mixture of different toxins (“venom”) following the bite of a venomous snake. Envenoming can also be caused by having venom sprayed into the eyes by certain species of snakes that have the ability to spit venom as a defence measure.