Hot Outside? Watch Out for Snakes

Snakes are cold blooded, which is why they spend a lot of time basking in the sun. In fact, Emory researchers have found a significant jump in the likelihood of being bitten by a snake for every degree Celsius daily temperatures increase.

The study analyzed ER visits reported by the Georgia Hospital Association from 2014 to 2020—during which time there were more than 5,000 hospitalizations due to snake bites, including 3,908 reported venomous snake bites. Researchers compared that data to the minimum and maximum temperatures, air pressure and humidity on the dates the bites occurred. The findings, published in GeoHealth, found the risk of being bitten by a snake increases 6 percent for every degree Celsius daily temperatures increase. “This is certainly higher than we often see from other types of health outcomes linked to heat,” says Noah Scovronick, assistant professor of environmental health at Rollins School of Public Health and the study’s lead author. “Our results show we need to spend more effort understanding the potential health burdens from snakebite in the context of climate change.”

 

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