SERPENT

A Public Health Project

What is Project SERPENT?

Snakebite Envenoming Rural Prevention & Treatment is a Little Leaders Foundation Public Health Project. This grassroots project conducts research into a community based approach to bring awareness about endemic venomous snakes to rural communities in Sri Lanka .

Research is being conducted by Kintan van Leeuwen (Executive Director) and Floortje Tamerus (Volunteer) who are students at Leiden University of Applied Sciences.

SERPENT combines public health with animal well being.

Background

Snakebite Envenoming was reinstated as a Neglected Tropical Disease by the WHO in 2017. There is a lack of awareness in rural communities in Sri Lanka about the prevention and treatment of venomous snakes. This poses a threat to the health of people living in impoverished rural communities, in particular to children. “26% of snakebites in Sri Lanka are in children under 15 years. 301 cases of snakebite in infants and children were investigated. 93% of these cases ended fatally.” (Anslem de Silva et al, 1983)

Method

Project SERPENT is a Training of Trainers (ToT) program. The trainer’s will constitute of teachers from both preschools and primary schools. Firstly, research is conducted into the current level of knowledge on snakes amongst teachers in rural areas. Secondly, an intervention is developed based on the results of the field research and wishes of the teachers. Thirdly, a Posttest is conducted that will determine if the intervention has been successful. Evaluations will take place to ensure the integration of the project into the local communities.

Objectives

The overall objective is to raise awareness about Snakebite Envenoming in rural populations in Sri Lanka.

  • We aim to train teachers.

  • We aim to decrease snakebite incidents.

  • We aim to protect the health of children.

  • We aim to prevent unnecessary long term health complications.

  • We aim to decrease the killing of snakes.

Read Our Blogs

Introduction

Public Health Department (week 1)
Colombo, Sri Lanka

Read Blog

Staying with a guest family

Pre test & Focus Groups (week 2,3)
Mannar Island, Sri Lanka

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Cobra’s in the playground

Pre test & Focus Groups (week 4)
Galle, Sri Lanka

Coming Soon

A True Story About Snakebite Envenoming

Photography by Floortje Tamerus (2024)

“The story is about my second son who was three years old when it happened. At the time we were very poor and lived in the jungle. My father was a  storekeeper and he would store dry wood next to the veranda. On the night of the incident I had prepared food for my family. After dinner my son was very sleepy and wanted to rest early. He fell asleep outside on the veranda. After I cleaned the kitchen I carried my son, who was still sleeping, into the bedroom. This is when he started vomiting, all night long. The vomit looked white and bubbly. At first I thought it was food poisoning. The next day I brought him to the Ayurvedic Doctor. The reason I brought him to the traditional healer is because there was no hospital in the village. The Ayurvedic doctor suspected my son was having an allergic reaction. We brought my son home but his condition only got worse. On the second day we decided to bring him to the hospital which was 15 km away. My son’s body started to become very weak, his neck became weak and his head started to hang, he could not open his mouth and eyes anymore, nor could he speak. At the time my sister worked as a midwife in the Hospital. She had started to beg the doctors to take a blood test. By the time the blood results came back my son had passed away. The result was snakebite envenoming. I could not believe this because I had never seen the marks of a snakebite on my son’s body. When my sister and I started washing my son’s body as preparation for the burial, my sister found the marks of a snakebite on the side of the head behind his ear. I have a lot of regret that we did not find out earlier. My son could still be alive now if we had known he was bitten by a snake.”

“The serpent shows the way to hidden things...”

— Carl G. Jung