Herpetologists are concerned that dwindling stocks of the South African-produced multi-purpose snake antidote will become a bigger problem in the coming months. Photos: Ashraf Hendricks
- South Africa’s only producer of snake antivenom cannot produce enough polyvalent antivenom, which treats bites from at least 10 venomous snakes.
- Experts worry that dwindling stocks will cause a bigger problem in the coming months, as many vets are running low on antivenom.
- Johan Marais, executive director of the African Snakebite Institute, says it is a “big disaster” that doctors and veterinarians cannot get hold of the multi-purpose antidote.
Snake experts are sounding the alarm about a shortage of South African-produced polyvalent snake antivenom, as a production delay is leading to wait times of at least six months for delivery of the life-saving snakebite treatment lives.
The multi-purpose antidote is the gold standard for the treatment of venomous snakebites and is produced in Johannesburg by the South African Vaccine Producers (SAVP), a subsidiary of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS).
This antivenom (SAIMR Polyvalent Snakebite Antiserum SAVP) treats snakebites from the black mamba, green mamba, Jameson’s mamba, Cape cobra, forest cobra, snouted cobra, Mozambique spitting cobra, rinkhals, puffing viper, and Gaboon viper.
According to Johan Marais, a herpetologist and executive director of the African Snakebite Institute, in recent months, a massive buildup of production in the SAVP has led to shortages in health facilities, especially among vets.
“People’s dogs have died because, for the past eight months, vets have been unable to buy antivenom. It really is a big problem,” Marais said.
He added that he had recently spoken to a doctor who couldn’t get hold of antivenom.
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About 3,500 people are bitten by snakes in South Africa each year, with 800 hospitalizations, Marais estimated. Of these, only about 10% require antidote treatment, and depending on the snakebite, treatments range from six to 20 vials per patient.
Marais estimates that there are 10 snakebite deaths per year in South Africa. The most recent data on the cause of death from Statistics South Africa found that there were 47 deaths from “contact with poisonous animals and plants in 2018.
Marais said Mozambique puff adder and spitting cobra bites needed to be treated quickly, as they could cause serious tissue damage. If left untreated for too long, the patient may need multiple operations to repair the damage.
He added that the shortage had worsened in the past eight months. While it had previously been a problem, the current situation is worse.
Another challenge is that the polyvalent antivenom from South Africa is bought and used in other African countries, such as Kenya and Senegal. Kenya currently does not make its own antivenom and experiences around 700 snakebite deaths per year, many more than South Africa.
The multi-purpose antidote treats bites from the Puff Adder (pictured above), as well as nine other venomous snakes in South Africa.
Mike Perry, founder of African Reptiles and Venom, supplies SAVP with the raw snake venom used to produce the multipurpose antidote. He said that it takes him a few years to produce the antidote.
Perry explained that the snake venom he supplied to the SAVP was injected into the horses in low doses over long periods of time. When horses become hyperimmune to the venom, their blood is drawn and antibodies against the venom are separated from the blood.
NHLS spokesman Mzimasi Gcukumana told GroundUp that the SAVP was “working around the clock” to reduce and ultimately eradicate the antivenom production backlog.
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Gcukumana said the cargo shedding had negatively affected antidote production. He added that the lab had been able to supply “some provincial health departments and some private facilities, including 13 veterinary practices, during December to ensure there is an adequate supply in the country.”
The lab said it planned to strategically place antidote banks in high-risk areas across the country.
Health Department spokesman Foster Mohale said he currently does not have a contract with the antivenom producer, even though it is “an essential medicine”.
Mohale said SAVP had informed officials that “difficulty in obtaining the material” was the reason for the current low stock.
