Nicola Bates offers guidance in the clinical features and management of snake bite, a condition rarely seen in emergency departments in the UK, and one which most A&E nurses have little familiarity

Snake bite is an uncommon cause of presentation to hospital in the UK. However, because of the rarity of snake bites by exotic species, the clinical features and management are relatively unfamiliar. In Europe, and particularly in Great Britain, snake bites are rare, but snake bites are a serious public health problem in Africa and Asia. It is estimated (although the data are incomplete) that about 100,000 people die as a result of snake bites in Asia each year (Chippaux 1998).