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Snakes Bites in Africa: Where is the Anti-Venom?

Published March 19th, 2019 - 08:03 GMT

Snake antivenoms have been around for 125 years. It is effective and can be produced cheaply on wide scale. Yet Africa, with its abundance of deadly snakes, has an alarming shortage of this life-saving medicine, according to AFP.

Experts and campaigners blame a combination of weak production capacity, feeble policy and oversight, high prices and a general lack of concern for the plight of people in poor, remote areas of the world.

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The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a small snake on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a small snake on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

Clare, a nurse and wife of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm Director holds a vile of an anti-venom at the farm where snakes' venom is extracted for research and manufacture, on February 14, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

Clare, a nurse and wife of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm Director holds a vile of an anti-venom at the farm where snakes' venom is extracted for research and manufacture, on February 14, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a freshly caught puff-adder prior to milk its venom on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a freshly caught puff-adder prior to milk its venom on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

A black spitting cobra moves inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

A black spitting cobra moves inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

A brown spitting cobra rears up using its menacing hood to adopt a defencive posture inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

A brown spitting cobra rears up using its menacing hood to adopt a defencive posture inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

Esther Ewoi, a traditional snake-bite healer, shows the little black stone she uses to suck venom out of a snakebite, as she sits outside her home in Kapkirwok village in Baringo county, on February 21, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

Esther Ewoi, a traditional snake-bite healer, shows the little black stone she uses to suck venom out of a snakebite, as she sits outside her home in Kapkirwok village in Baringo county, on February 21, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

Chepchirchir Kiplagat (L), a 8-year-old child who partially lost the use of her body after a snakebit is held by her father Jackson Chepkui outside their home in the village of Embosos, in the Baringo county on February 22, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

Chepchirchir Kiplagat (L), a 8-year-old child who partially lost the use of her body after a snakebit is held by her father Jackson Chepkui outside their home in the village of Embosos, in the Baringo county on February 22, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a small snake on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Clare, a nurse and wife of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm Director holds a vile of an anti-venom at the farm where snakes' venom is extracted for research and manufacture, on February 14, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a freshly caught puff-adder prior to milk its venom on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
A black spitting cobra moves inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
A brown spitting cobra rears up using its menacing hood to adopt a defencive posture inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Esther Ewoi, a traditional snake-bite healer, shows the little black stone she uses to suck venom out of a snakebite, as she sits outside her home in Kapkirwok village in Baringo county, on February 21, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Chepchirchir Kiplagat (L), a 8-year-old child who partially lost the use of her body after a snakebit is held by her father Jackson Chepkui outside their home in the village of Embosos, in the Baringo county on February 22, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a small snake on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a small snake on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Clare, a nurse and wife of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm Director holds a vile of an anti-venom at the farm where snakes' venom is extracted for research and manufacture, on February 14, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Clare, a nurse and wife of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm Director holds a vile of an anti-venom at the farm where snakes' venom is extracted for research and manufacture, on February 14, 2019, in Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a freshly caught puff-adder prior to milk its venom on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Royjan Taylor, holds a freshly caught puff-adder prior to milk its venom on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
A black spitting cobra moves inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
A black spitting cobra moves inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
A brown spitting cobra rears up using its menacing hood to adopt a defencive posture inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
A brown spitting cobra rears up using its menacing hood to adopt a defencive posture inside its enclosure on February 14, 2019 at the Bio-Ken Snake Farm in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu in Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Esther Ewoi, a traditional snake-bite healer, shows the little black stone she uses to suck venom out of a snakebite, as she sits outside her home in Kapkirwok village in Baringo county, on February 21, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Esther Ewoi, a traditional snake-bite healer, shows the little black stone she uses to suck venom out of a snakebite, as she sits outside her home in Kapkirwok village in Baringo county, on February 21, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Chepchirchir Kiplagat (L), a 8-year-old child who partially lost the use of her body after a snakebit is held by her father Jackson Chepkui outside their home in the village of Embosos, in the Baringo county on February 22, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Chepchirchir Kiplagat (L), a 8-year-old child who partially lost the use of her body after a snakebit is held by her father Jackson Chepkui outside their home in the village of Embosos, in the Baringo county on February 22, 2019. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP
The herpetologist and director of the Bio-Ken Snake Farm milks the venom of a freshly caught puff-adder on February 13, 2019, in the Kenya's coastal town of Watamu, Kilifi county. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

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