ABSTRACT
Several factors contribute towards a decrease in the prevalence of infectious disease in a population. These include active control measures, active immunisation, and improvement in the socioeconomic state of the population. There appears, however, to be a progressive increase in the resistance of a population in relation to the length of time the population has been exposed to an agent. This increasing resistance is currently thought to be an expression of natural selection but transmission of actively acquired immunity cannot be ruled out and in the light of current evidence remains a highly probable contributory factor.
Subject(s)
Communicable Diseases/epidemiology , Adult , Age Factors , Animals , Communicable Diseases/genetics , Communicable Diseases/immunology , Developing Countries , Disease Outbreaks/epidemiology , Global Health , Humans , Immunity, Innate , Middle Aged , Mortality , Papua New Guinea , Rabbits , Selection, Genetic , VirulenceABSTRACT
Between July 1976 and June 1977, 175 cases, reported to be snakebite, were admitted to the General Hospital, Makurdi, Nigeria; of these 112 cases were presumed to have been injected with snake venom, but only 90 patients received antivenom. 23 patients received blood transfusion. 10 patients died, giving a case fatality rate of 5.7%. No patient reacted to the antivenom. Working guidelines are provided for the management of snakebite in tropical West Africa.
