Snakebites : three questions to MD Gabriel Alcoba

Snakebite has been added to WHO’s Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) List. This addition to the list should result in increased support to the prevention, diagnostic and treatments of snakebite, a disease killing around 100 000 people each year in predominantly rural areas of Africa and the Middle East.

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Mordeduras de serpiente: tres preguntas al Dr. Gabriel Alcoba (ES)

Subt. Spanish

Morsures des serpents : Trois questions au Dr Gabriel Alcoba (FR)

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Snakebites : three questions to MD Gabriel Alcoba (DE)

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Snakebites : three questions to MD Gabriel Alcoba

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Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF201374

Date taken / Date Recorded 15/05/2017 12:00 AM

Country Switzerland

Commissioning section MSF-SWITZERLAND

Photographer / videographer / producer Pierre-Yves Bernard

Usage Rights (MSF) Advertising Campaign, External Media, MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

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Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 1m59s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 267.29 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist Snakebites, Gabriel Alcoba
Q&A
1. How many people are affected?
Five million people are bitten by a snake every year. At least a hundred thousand
people die of snakebite every year. In sub-Saharan Africa we think at least thirty
thousand people die of snakebite and the vast majority don’t access antivenom.
Moreover, antivenoms are sometimes of poor quality and sometimes not designed for
the right species.
The vast majority of patients are from rural areas often affected by conflict and
displaced and very often these people don't access antivenom.
100 000 people die every year
Antivenoms are hardly accessible, of variable quality and not polyvalent
2. What’s happening now?
One of the most reliable and polyvalent antivenoms which we were happy about
expired. Therefore we have been forced to use different antivenoms, which were not
as polyvalent. So that means using some antivenoms for some species and some
symptoms and other antivenoms for other species causing other symptoms or
syndromes, which makes things more complex and especially for an emergency as
snakebite it's quite complex.
Polyvalent antivenoms that neutralize many snake venoms are the safest option.
The last vial of polyvalent antivenom expired in June 2016
3. What’s the good news?
Now we have really good news from the World Health Organization. Snakebite has
been included among the neglected tropical diseases.
So we hope that WHO will lead the effort for training, epidemiology, research and will
help design and help provide better antivenom.
Good news! WHO list = more training, epidemiology, research, visibility for donors
This will mean that more victims will access treatment and will be appropriately
treated and survive.
Better treatment in the future? More chances of survival for victims!