Corrected Science Textbooks and Snakebite Casualties in Brazil: 1993-2007

First-aid methods recommended for snakebites are included in Science textbooks in Brazil. Books published before 1996 provided misleading information in this respect and it is possible that such recommendations derived from North-American experiences conducted at the beginning of the 20th Century. The official evaluation of textbooks carried out by the Ministry of Education in 1996 initiated a major public discussion on the several mistakes which had been present in Brazilian educational materials, mainly those relating to mistaken snakebite first-aid procedures. As from 1996, a significant decrease in the number of casualties from snakebites was reported, both in the total number of deaths and among the patients who had received medical assistance. The official data showed this decrease was consistent and remained so for the following ten years. The number of deaths might be associated with the reduced number of victims who developed complications resulting from improper first-aid procedures. This article is intended to relate the changes implemented in textbooks as a result of the first national evaluation and the great impact caused by the publication of the serious mistakes found in these materials, with the reduction in the number of casualties from snakebites in the same period. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)