Durban - South Africa still produces antivenom through its National Health Laboratory Service and has notified the Doctors Without Borders organisation that it is available to assist them with product used in the treatment of venomous bites or stings.
The humanitarian aid group issued a statement on Monday saying French pharmaceutical company Sanofi, producer of Fav-Afrique, “the world’s only antivenom proven safe and effective to treat envenoming from different types of snakes across Sub-Saharan Africa”, had stopped making this product at the end of 2014.
It said the last batch of Fav-Afrique was due to expire in June next year, “and no replacement would be available for another two years”.
SA Vaccine Producers, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Health Laboratory Service, claims to be the only South African manufacturer of antivenom for the treatment of snake, scorpion, and spider bites.
Doctors Without Borders raised the issue before a symposium on the issue in Basel, in Switzerland, this week. The organisation said tens of thousands of people would continue to die unnecessarily from snake bites unless the global health community took action to ensure treatment and antivenom were made available.
Snake bite medical adviser Gabriel Alcoba said humanity was facing a crisis.
“Imagine how frightening it must be to be bitten by a snake – to feel the pain and venom spread through your body – knowing it may kill you and there is no treatment available or you can’t afford to pay for it.”
The organisation said snake bites were a major killer “yet remain one of the world’s most neglected public health emergencies, as global health actors show worryingly little interest in the issue”.
It said an estimated 5 million people worldwide were bitten by snakes each year, out of whom 100 000 died and 400 000 were permanently disabled or disfigured.
“In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 30 000 people die from snakebite every year and an estimated 8 000 undergo amputations,” it said.
The organisation said snake bites mainly affected people living in rural areas. With no health facilities nearby, and unable to afford expensive treatment, many either turned to traditional healers or did not seek care at all.
“This suggests the number of victims is probably higher than officially reported.”
The Mercury