Management of snake bites in the tropics - based on the example of Papua New Guinea.

Snake bites by venomous snakes are a widely neglected topic despite the fact that they may cause severe tissue damages and lead to life threatening situations resulting in death mostly due to the lack of adequate medical help. Papua New Guinea hosts one of the most venomous snakes worldwide - the taipan. Medical facilities are limited, the one and only real hospital being located in Port Moresby. Transport facilities for patients are rare and comparably slow, the roads bad except the so-called highway which is in a mint condition. Besides first aid measures (compression and immobilization) the application of (specific) antivenom is the (life-saving) treatment of choice. This product is extremely expensive therefore there is only a very limited supply (mostly by products which have already passed the expiry date). Since in addition these products must be kept in a fridge vast areas lacking energy supply don't have storage facilities. Conclusions drawn from the experience in Port Moresby therefore cannot be extended to the rest of the country.