COVID-19 will stretch health systems in snakebite endemic regions to their limits. Prevention of this neglected tropical disease that kills and seriously injures countless numbers every year is more important now than ever. Click through the graphics for information on community measures to prevent snakebite.

• Watch your step!

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  138,000 people die from snakebite envenoming each year. Wearing shoes that ideally cover feet and ankles is one of the most effective prevention measures against snakebite. Equally important is watching your step in the bush to avoid treading on a snake.

• Use a flashlight at night

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  Hundreds of thousands who suffer a snakebite need hospital treatment. When outside at night, use a flashlight to help see where you tread. A simple measure to prevent snakebite can help unburden health facilities.

• Keep food, water and livestock outside

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  Wherever there's food, there's rodents. Wherever there's rodents, there’s snakes. Keep food, water and livestock outside your house to stop attracting snakes from entering and to prevent snakebite.

• Store firewood distant from house

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  Snakes like to hide in stacks of wood. Make sure to store firewood distant from home to prevent snakebite. Each year, 400,000 people are disabled by snakebite envenoming. Health facilities often don't have capacity for rehabilitative care, even less so in times of COVID-19.

• Raise beds above ground

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  Some snakebite patients are bitten while sleeping. To prevent snakebite it's important to raise beds above the ground and use a bed net, so snakes cannot slither in.

• Close holes in house

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  Snakes can squeeze through tiny little holes. To prevent snakebite make sure to close holes in your home. This also prevents rodents, the natural prey of snakes, from entering.

• Cut grass and clear ground

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  Take away natural hiding places for snakes by cutting the grass and bushes around your house and keeping it tidy. This also prevents accidentally stepping on a hidden snake.

• Find nearest antivenom

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  If living in an area at risk of snakebite, make sure to prepare an emergency plan with families and communities. Where is the nearest health facility? Does it stock antivenom? How can you get there? Share this and help us to prevent snakebite, not only in times of COVID-19!