Snakebite Accidents Most Common Among Those Aged 60 and Over

Fire Agency Announces Analysis Results of Accident Patterns

The National Fire Agency recently released the results of an analysis on the patterns of snakebite incidents based on approximately 3 million emergency medical service (EMS) log data from last year, reflecting changes in emergency response environments such as increased snake appearances and snakebite incidents in urban areas due to abnormal weather conditions. The data showed that incidents sharply increased starting in June and were concentrated during the warm summer and early autumn months (July to September).

The age group most affected by snakebites was found to be people in their 60s. Among those under 60, male patients accounted for a large proportion, whereas from age 60 and above, female patients showed a significant increase.

Analysis of incident occurrences by hour (in one-hour intervals) and day of the week revealed that snakebite incidents were more frequent on weekends, when outdoor activities are common. The most frequent times for incidents were around 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Going forward, the National Fire Agency plans to accumulate annual data for more meaningful insights and conduct additional analyses by integrating various big data related to snakebite locations, such as distance from rivers, altitude, and forest types at the incident sites.

Choi Jae-min, Director of the Fire Analysis System Division at the National Fire Agency, stated, “We aim to prevent disasters and actively utilize fire activity analyses based on dispatch data for fires, rescues, and emergency medical services to establish tailored policies.” He added, “We will strive to provide the public with useful preventive information based on these results.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.