Snakebite Deaths: Expert Decries Antivenom Shortage, Urges Local Production - THISDAYLIVE

A shortage of anti-snake venom drugs in parts of Nigeria is claiming lives, with four people reportedly dying from snakebite envenomation in one week at a hospital, a medical expert, Dr. Nandul Durfa, has disclosed.

Durfa, a former Chief Medical Director of Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja, said Nigeria had the capacity and government approvals to produce antivenom locally but bureaucratic delays had repeatedly frustrated efforts to establish domestic production.

He spoke at a National Training Workshop on Snakebite Handling, Treatment and Management organised by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), in partnership with Chevron Nigeria Limited, at the Lekki Conservation Centre, Lagos.

The workshop brought together public health professionals, wildlife conservationists, medical practitioners and traditional healers to promote evidence-based snakebite treatment, dispel misconceptions about snakes and encourage peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife.

Durfa, who is also Managing Director of the EchiTAb Study Group Nigeria, described snakebite envenomation as a medical emergency, particularly in northern Nigeria, where access to antivenom remains a major challenge.

He said the reported deaths underscored the urgent need for reliable supplies of effective antivenom and stronger collaboration between conventional medical practitioners and traditional healers to improve treatment outcomes.

“For the past three weeks, there has been no antivenom,” he said, recounting the account of a workshop participant working in a hospital who reported four snakebite deaths within a week.

He said bringing traditional healers and medical professionals together would help them better understand appropriate treatment options and the importance of using effective antivenom.

The expert also expressed concern that Nigeria had yet to translate earlier government approvals and investments into local antivenom production, despite years of efforts to establish domestic manufacturing capacity.

According to him, former President Olusegun Obasanjo approved local production in 2006 after the product secured registration from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Durfa said the approval included plans to identify funding for production, but the initiative was subsequently stalled by bureaucratic inertia.

He added that another attempt was made during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, following earlier government support for clinical trials through the Petroleum Trust Fund.

According to him, Buhari, having learnt of the trial results, directed his Chief of Staff to write to the Central Bank of Nigeria concerning funds for antivenom production.

However, the initiative failed to translate into actual production, leaving Nigeria dependent on available supplies rather than a fully established domestic manufacturing programme.

Durfa urged the federal government to revisit the earlier approvals and revive local production, arguing that dependable supplies would improve access to treatment and reduce the risk of preventable deaths.

He also called for greater public awareness of the differences between effective antivenom and cheaper alternatives whose efficacy against Nigerian venomous snakes may be inadequate.

He identified EchiTAb polyvalent antivenom and EchiTAb G as important treatment options for envenomation by Nigerian venomous snakes, stressing that the choice and administration of treatment should be guided by appropriate medical expertise.

Durfa warned against judging treatment effectiveness solely by the price of a vial, explaining that cheaper products might require multiple doses without necessarily delivering the desired clinical results.

He said medical professionals should prioritise effective treatment rather than financial considerations, while ensuring that patients and their families received accurate information about available medicines.

Earlier, the Director-General of NCF, Dr. Joseph Onoja, urged Nigerians to understand the ecological importance of snakes and abandon attitudes that encourage their indiscriminate killing.

He said snakes played a critical role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling rodent populations, whose unchecked growth could increase the risk of infections, including Lassa fever.

“Snakes are important to our biodiversity and ecosystem. Without them to keep the population of rodents in check, there’s the risk of increased infections like Lassa fever,” Onoja said.

He stressed the need for people to learn to live harmoniously with nature, noting that improved understanding of snakes would help reduce unnecessary human-wildlife conflict.

The NCF, through the workshop, sought to bridge the gap between wildlife conservation and public health by equipping stakeholders with better knowledge of snakebite prevention, handling and treatment.

The engagement also highlighted the importance of correcting myths and misinformation that could encourage dangerous responses to snake encounters or delay access to appropriate medical care.

Snakebite envenomation remains a public health concern in communities where people encounter snakes during farming, other outdoor activities and daily interactions with their environment.

The workshop’s emphasis on evidence-based treatment and collaboration among practitioners underscored the need for public education to complement improvements in medicine availability.

However, Durfa’s account of stalled domestic production and reported deaths from a shortage of antivenom raised fresh questions about the government’s ability to convert longstanding policy commitments into accessible, life-saving treatment.

He urged the authorities to revive the local production initiative, while calling on medical professionals and other stakeholders to strengthen public education and ensure that snakebite victims receive effective treatment without avoidable delays.

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