Snakebite in tropical Australia, Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya

It is thought that the incidence of snakebite in Australia is falling, with an estimated 1000–3000 snakebites each year.1,2 There has also been a dramatic fall in the incidence of antivenom use.3 Reasons for the falling incidence of snakebite in Australia include both decreasing numbers of venomous and other snakes and decreasing human exposure to snakes because of lifestyle and demographic changes.3 Proposed factors affecting snake populations include increasing urban development, especially in coastal regions, the spread of the introduced cane toad (Bufo marinus) whose poisonous secretions are thought to be in part responsible for the demise of frog-eating snakes, such as the red-bellied black snake in Queensland and the Papuan black snake in Papua New Guinea, and increasing use of fertilizers and pesticides in rural regions.3–5 Cane toads had crossed from Queensland to the Northern Territory by December 1989 but have yet to become established in the capital city, Darwin. Limited data show that, within Australia, snakebite incidence is highest in the less populated tropical northern regions, but is still far below that of Papua New Guinea. A 1940 report showed more snakebite Abstract