STUDY ON TRADITIONAL PRACTITIONERS KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES ON SNAKE-BITE FIRST AID AND TREATMENT IN NORTH CENTRAL PROVINCE, SRI LANKA

Abstract

Sri Lankan traditional medical snake bite practices (Visha Vedakama) has very long history. These traditional medical practices used by traditional practitioners for thousand years. According to the government hospital statistics North Central province is the highest snake bite rate in Sri Lanka. Objective of this study was to find out the traditional practitioners knowledge and practices related to snake-bite first aid and treatment. Sixty traditional snake bite treatment practitioners from North Central province of Sri Lanka, who had more than ten years’ experience after registration, were selected randomly from the registry maintained by Ayurveda Medical Council. Before administered a questionnaire written consent was taken. The questionnaire was consisted of socio demographic characteristics, traditional first aid and treatment of snake bite patient. Out of 60 practitioners 73.33% were male and 38.3% and 25% belong to the age group of 66-75 and over 75 respectively. Majority of them (56.6%) had more than twenty years’ experience and 61% of them learned the traditional medicine from their parents. The study revealed that 65% of practitioners disagree to wash the bitten area. 58.3% practitioners agreed to apply tourniquets around the limb proximal to the bite site and 70% and 83.3% were agreed to incise bitten area and apply snake stone respectively. 90% of the respondents agreed to apply lime juice to the bitten area and 100% of them prescribed anti venom herbal porridge as an immediate treatment. 91% practitioners used herbal decoctions for neutralize snake venom. It is concluded that the practitioners have adequate knowledge about snake bite first aid and treatment.