Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Bet you didn't know this...

Snake bite is a 'neglected tropical disease' - New Scientist:

Snakes kill more people than either dengue fever or skin cancer, according to a new worldwide estimate.

See an interactive map of the areas affected

Cobras, vipers, black mambas and other venomous snakes take between 20,000 and 94,000 lives each year, and bite another 421,000 to 1,841,000 people.

5 comments:

  1. I'll keep my eyes out for cobras and black mambas as I work to and from the train on the Sunshine Coast.

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  2. correction: "walk to and from the train station"

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  3. Yes indeed, MCB, you can't be too careful. By the way, "Black mamba" is such a good name for a snake, don't you think?

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  4. Indeed it is - not to be confused with the dance "the Mambo". In addition, after some consideration, I've decided to purchase a mongoose to fight off any possible cobras (and black mambas) on my daily walk.

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  5. Good idea. It will, however, need to stretch its legs within a room with a good water supply for at least 10 minutes every couple of hours. The ladies' toilets in your office building would be ideal, I expect.

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