Citation

Bochner R. J. Venom Anim. Toxins Incl. Trop. Dis. 2013; 19(1): 29.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Universidade Estadual Paulista. Centro de Estudos de Venenos e Animais Peçonhentos)

DOI

10.1186/1678-9199-19-29

PMID

24215797

Abstract

Being distant from Brazil's great natural diversity, from its long tradition in the study of snakebites and from the fact that it is one of the few countries which has a national information system for monitoring incidents involving venomous animals, non-Brazilian researchers face risks when estimating the incidence of these accidents in the country. The present work offers a critical review of the main estimates undertaken since 1954. It is interesting to note contradictions between textual and graphic information within the same article, variations over time in the work of a same researcher and differences among distinct authors, and that all these issues remain unmentioned or undiscussed. Comparison among such estimates and the data available at the Brazilian Information System on Diseases of Compulsory Declaration (Sistema de Informacao de Agravos de Notificacao -- SINAN) creates an opportunity to identify the degree of imprecision present in those articles, and draws attention to the need for the production of studies at both the regional and national levels, based on concrete data collected at national, state and municipal levels, which has been available on the internet since 2001.

Language: en