Therapeutic Pathway for Snake Bite in the Municipality of Bassila in North-Eastern Benin

Introduction: Snake bites mostly affect poor rural communities in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, causing permanent damage like physical disabilities from injuries and amputations. Even though it’s a big deal in rural Africa, victims still prefer to go with traditional medicine. The main objective of the study was to analyse the sociocultural and health determinants of the therapeutic pathway of snake bite victims in the commune of Bassila in north-eastern Benin. 

Method: This was a cross-sectional study of victims of snake bites admitted to the district hospital in the municipality of Bassila in 2024 and their relatives. A total of 85 people were surveyed. All 30 snake bite victims admitted to the Bassila district hospital in 2024 from the five (05) localities with the highest incidence were surveyed. The relatives of both deceased and surviving victims (36), health workers (11) and socio-cultural actors such as traditional therapists (5) and community leaders (5) residents in these localities were interviewed. The interview content was analysed using NVIVO software. 

Results: According to the populations surveyed, snake bites are not only a natural occurrence but can also be caused by a spell cast by an enemy or as punishment for a social transgression. As a result, these populations mainly seek treatment for snake bites from local traditional therapists. Although most respondents visited a traditional healer or sometimes a hospital where they remained until they recovered, some patients chose to be treated successively in both places. The reasons given were treatment failure or a loss of confidence in the effectiveness of the first course of treatment. 

Conclusion: It is important that, in the management of snake bites in the municipality of Bassila, sociocultural considerations that discourage the use of medical facilities should be taken into account.