What Venomous Snake is Responsible for the most Bites in Africa?

Most of us grew up being told that Puff Adders accounted for the most snake bites in Africa. While this is true for sub Saharan Africa it is not true for the whole of Africa. The snake which is responsible for the majority of venomous snake bites on the African continent is the Saw Scaled Viper (Echis sp.) also known as the Carpet Viper. There are eight species of Saw Scaled Vipers seven of which occur in Africa the other species inhabits parts of Asia. This vipers distribution is disjointed with species occurring in West Africa, Central Africa and North Africa. These different populations are separated by large distances. These snakes have high population densities often in areas used for cultivating crops. The population density of the people that live in these areas is also high, allowing more people to come in contact with these snakes and increasing the chance of being bitten. These vipers are brilliantly camouflaged, short tempered and have an extremely toxic venom which prevents blood from clotting, causing internal bleeding and extensive tissue damage. An envenomated bite from this snake will most likely be fatal without antivenom and medical treatment. Health care in these countries is not great and getting proper treatment is not a given. The statistics state that this snake could be responsible for the deaths of thousands of people every year. This snake is considered to be a candidate for the most dangerous snake in the world. SAVP produces monovalent antivenom for this snake; it is the only antivenom for an exotic snake that is produced locally. A drug called Tirofiban is based on a venom protein from the African saw-scaled viper. This drug has been used since 1998 to treat people having minor heart attacks or those with chest pain indicating they are likely to suffer a heart attack.