Investigating the impact of precipitation and temperature on snakebite mortality in India: A spatial case-crossover study.

Abstract

Our study explores the roles of precipitation and temperature in snakebite fatalities in India, with a focus on short-term effects and different lagged exposures. We propose the use of a spatial case-crossover model that accounts for spatially varying coefficients to assess these environmental exposures. While the spatial case-crossover model has primarily been applied to small area data, we extend its use to continuous spatial fields, allowing for more detailed regional analysis. The spatial model is implemented using MCMC (Markov Chain Monte Carlo) methods, allowing us to capture regional variations in the impacts of environmental factors on snakebite mortality. Our findings indicate that snakebite fatalities are primarily influenced by seasonality rather than precipitation or temperature, with notable spatial heterogeneity in these effects. This emphasizes the importance of spatially explicit models in understanding snakebite-related fatalities and the complexities of this public health challenge.