Researchers are investigating the current antivenoms used in Kenya and other African countries following reports that most of them are useless against snake bites.
The team appointed by the World Health Organisation will table its report early next year, after two years of research.
“WHO urges regulators, producers, researchers, clinicians, national and regional health authorities, to work together to improve the availability of reliable epidemiological data on snake bites, the regulatory control of antivenoms and their distribution policies,” the organisation said.
Several reports have recently suggested many of the anti-venom treatments in the market are useless and do not work against the poison.
This prompted the WHO to order a wide-ranging study on the medicines across most African countries.
“The results of this detailed technical and laboratory assessment will be published in early 2018,” the WHO said in a statement.
The outcome will provide important direction for Kenya, where a recent research found nearly all anti-venoms being sold locally to be ineffective.
The study was released in October by researchers from the Karen-based Institute of Primate Research, UK’s Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and the University Costa Rica.
The researchers collected venom samples from the most medically important snakes in East Africa and pre-clinically tested the comparative venom-neutralising efficacy of four antivenoms available in Kenya with two antivenoms of clinically-proven efficacy.
“None of the six antivenoms are pre-clinically effective, at the doses tested, against all of the most medically important snakes of the region. The very limited snake polyspecific efficacy of two locally available antivenoms is of concern,” says the study.
George Omondi, the head of the Kenya Snakebite Research and Intervention Centre, took part in the study, published in the Plos One journal.
Snake Bite Rescue Rehabilitation and Research Centre Kenya founder Dr Winnie Bore recently confirmed the potency of anti-venoms was not assured.
“An estimated 33.3 percent of the patients lose their lives and the rest will become disabled at different degrees, approximately 5 percent will require amputation,” she told the Star.
Last week, researchers recommended the international research to better understand the
biological and venom composition of the snake species of greatest medical importance.
“This will foster the development of anti-venoms with broader coverage of snake species
and geographical areas,” they said in a presentation at the neglected tropical diseases conference in Nairobi.
In Kenya, snakebite victims are compensated by the Kenya Wildlife Service, who now want to scrap that benefit.
Researchers are investigating the current antivenoms used in Kenya and other African countries following reports that most of them are useless against snake bites.
The team appointed by the World Health Organisation will table its report early next year, after two years of research.
“WHO urges regulators, producers, researchers, clinicians, national and regional health authorities, to work together to improve the availability of reliable epidemiological data on snake bites, the regulatory control of antivenoms and their distribution policies,” the organisation said.
Several reports have recently suggested many of the anti-venom treatments in the market are useless and do not work against the poison.
This prompted the WHO to order a wide-ranging study on the medicines across most African countries.
“The results of this detailed technical and laboratory assessment will be published in early 2018,” the WHO said in a statement.
The outcome will provide important direction for Kenya, where a recent research found nearly all anti-venoms being sold locally to be ineffective.
The study was released in October by researchers from the Karen-based Institute of Primate Research, UK’s Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and the University Costa Rica.
The researchers collected venom samples from the most medically important snakes in East Africa and pre-clinically tested the comparative venom-neutralising efficacy of four antivenoms available in Kenya with two antivenoms of clinically-proven efficacy.
“None of the six antivenoms are pre-clinically effective, at the doses tested, against all of the most medically important snakes of the region. The very limited snake polyspecific efficacy of two locally available antivenoms is of concern,” says the study.
George Omondi, the head of the Kenya Snakebite Research and Intervention Centre, took part in the study, published in the Plos One journal.
Snake Bite Rescue Rehabilitation and Research Centre Kenya founder Dr Winnie Bore recently confirmed the potency of anti-venoms was not assured.
“An estimated 33.3 percent of the patients lose their lives and the rest will become disabled at different degrees, approximately 5 percent will require amputation,” she told the Star.
Last week, researchers recommended the international research to better understand the
biological and venom composition of the snake species of greatest medical importance.
“This will foster the development of anti-venoms with broader coverage of snake species
and geographical areas,” they said in a presentation at the neglected tropical diseases conference in Nairobi.
In Kenya, snakebite victims are compensated by the Kenya Wildlife Service, who now want to scrap that benefit.
