Every year, an estimated 2.7 million people are bitten by venomous snakes, resulting in death for more than 100,000 people and life-long disfigurement and disability for 400,000 more. MSF treats several thousand victims of snakebite every year and witnesses the devastating impact of snakebites on victims, their families and communities in many of the places we work.

This video: provides information on how snakebite affects people and how it is treated; explains why so many people can’t access effective treatment; and outlines the importance of supporting the World Health Organization’s upcoming roadmap on snakebite.

This video is intended to be an accessible summary of these issues which can be used with a range of audiences.

NB. To help support snakebite comms and advocacy work in the different places where MSF works, the Access Campaign has created an internal snakebite advocacy/comms toolkit - click here to find out more: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hr-U75U9k9dTMlkWvQaHr6eIFJgycsf4-cmGO4WlJ0w/edit?usp=sharing

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Script: Strike back against snakebite!
Julien CLIP – imagine that you live in a village. You’re walking back home from the fields. You don’t have a flashlight and you get bitten before arriving in the village by a snake.

Every year 2.7 million people are bitten by venomous snakes. With devastating consequences for themselves and their families. It’s a race against time to get treatment.

Venomous snakebites can lead to massive bleeding, paralysis, respiratory failure and without treatment, death.

But most hospitals in the places we work can’t provide the necessary treatment.

Antivenoms can neutralize snake venom.

But less than one in twenty people bitten by venomous snakes get timely access to effective antivenoms in Africa.

Bernadette Schober, MSF project coordinator, Agok, South Sudan -
It does happen quite regularly that parts have to be amputated because
of the snakebite simply because it is such long distances people have to
walk to get to the and then the only possible treatment is amputation.

Alfonso Apolinar MSF Medical Advisor, Agok, South Sudan - CLIP – Even if we can take care of these patients and give them treatment the biggest problem is the access to the hospital, and the number of patients that we see in the hospital we think is just the tip of the iceberg.

400 000 people permanently disabled.
100 000 people die every year.
Why are so many people suffering when snakebite is preventable
and curable?

Julien Potet - CLIP – The vast majority of victims are farmers or dwellers in villages. They belong to the most disadvantaged categories of the populations in their countries, so they have little political voice, as well as limited resources to pay for hospital fees or treatment.

When people can’t afford to pay, a vicious circle is created that dries up supplies of effective antivenom.

ANTIVENOM VICIOUS CIRCLE INFOGRAPHIC

Julien - CLIP- Snakebite has been a problem increasingly over the last two decades, especially in Africa because there has been this antivenom supply crisis that was first mentioned more than two decades ago.

Ensuring the supply of effective and affordable antivenom is essential.
But how else can we strike back against snakebite?

Julien – CLIP - Simple things need to happen, using a flashlight at night,
wearing boots if possible during field work and if anybody is bitten make sure that the person is transported to the nearest hospital.

Educate communities how to better protect themselves against snakebite.

Julien – CLIP - The administration of the treatment itself requires some skills, so it’s very important to train the health care workers, most importantly the nurses and medical doctors who will work in rural hospitals so that they can provide good quality care.

Train health care workers to respond better and provide good quality care.

Julien – CLIP - The good news is that the World Health Organisation is going to launch a road map against snake bite. It will include the critical activities that need to happen; prevention, access to treatment, capacity building.

If it's properly financed, there's a real chance that it'll make a difference.

Help strike back against snakebite!
It’s time to get behind WHO’s roadmap

Share this video and find out more at msfaccess.org/snakebite