São Paulo, Brazil, 21 August 2025 (PAHO) – Countries across Latin America and the Caribbean have advanced toward a regional strategy to address the growing health burden of accidents caused by venomous animals. From snakebites and scorpion stings to encounters with venomous spiders and caterpillars, these incidents claim hundreds of lives annually and leave thousands of survivors with lifelong disabilities, particularly among rural and indigenous communities.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), through its Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA), and with support from the Wellcome Trust, hosted the First Regional Meeting of National Programs for Venomous Animal Accidents (REDPEVA) on August 21–22 at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil.
In a video addressed to the participants, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO, stressed the urgent need for a unified response to avoid “preventable deaths and disabilities” caused by envenoming by venomous animals.
Many survivors are left with permanent disabilities—such as amputations, neurological and psychological conditions—often resulting in job loss and decreased productivity. The health and economic consequences are also significant, particularly for vulnerable populations, and place significant strain on public health systems.
A silent and underreported public health threat
The statistics are sobering. In Latin America and the Caribbean, over 57,000 snakebite cases are reported each year, although the real number is likely higher due to underreporting in remote areas with limited healthcare access.
According to a recent PANAFTOSA survey conducted across the Americas, cases of scorpion and spider envenoming significantly increased between 2021 and 2024—averaging 198,647 and 48,345 cases per year, respectively. Snakebite and caterpillar incidents remained stable at 10.9 and 1.2 per 100,000 inhabitants but still exceeded figures from previous years.
Each year, snakebites alone affect 5.4 million people worldwide, killing over 80,000 and leaving three times as many with disabilities.
Climate change, Dr. Barbosa noted, is exacerbating the problem by shifting ecological patterns and exposing new communities to venomous species. “This demands a coordinated and sustained regional response,” rooted in a One Health approach,” he urged, calling for collaboration across human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
REDPEVA: A blueprint for action
The REDPEVA meeting laid the groundwork for a regional roadmap with clear priorities: building a collaborative network to share expertise, using technology to map high-risk areas, standardizing surveillance, and improving antivenom access.
PANAFTOSA also introduced new guidelines on snake envenoming and a virtual training course to equip healthcare workers with critical skills.
This regional effort aligns with global momentum to address snakebite envenoming, recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the most lethal neglected tropical diseases. In 2018, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging member states to reduce snakebite deaths by 50% by 2030. The following year, WHO launched its Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming.
In line with this strategy, International Snakebite Awareness Day, observed each 19 September, raises awareness about the scale and impact of snakebite envenoming, especially in underserved communities.
REDPEVA is the first formal technical platform for regional coordination on venomous animal accidents—an area often overlooked in public health policy.