As part of the national program, CDC should establish a national venomous snakebite registry, and an antivenom clearinghouse and referral program.
Snakebites are a serious cause of morbidity and occasional mortality in the Untied States.
At risk of envenomation are members of the general public who are exposed during activities of daily living in geographic areas of the United States where venomous snakes are indigenous. Studies of the circumstances and risk factors for the occurrence of snakebite have not been done. Little specific information is known about populations at risk or risk factors involved in fatal and non-fatal envenomations. No reliable estimates exist for the number of snakebites each year in the United States. Although precise data are not available, noted authority F.E. Russell has estimated that 7-10 snakebite fatalities occur in the United States every year.