Stakeholders say South Africa’s health facilities now have sufficient supplies of snake anti-venom, after a drastic shortage earlier this year caused panic countrywide.
In April, the National Snakebite Advisory Group wrote to Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, asking him to ensure funding and emergency upgrades of equipment and backup power supply at the South African Vaccine Producers’ production plant after the shortage was exposed.
Daily Maverick reports that the SA Vaccine Producers, part of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), produces snake anti-venom for the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
Shortage resolved
Last week, Professor Timothy Craig Hardcastle, the spokesperson for the National Snakebite Advisory Group and one of the experts who signed the letter to the Health Minister, said the shortage had been resolved.
Mzimasi Gcukumana, senior communications manager at NHLS, confirmed more than 6 100 vials had been distributed across 302 medical institutions in South Africa between 1 January and 16 November.
Two types of snake anti-venom are produced in South Africa. Polyvalent anti-venom is used to treat bites from the black mamba, green mamba, Jameson’s mamba, Cape cobra, forest cobra, snouted cobra, Mozambique spitting cobra, rinkhals, puff adder and gaboon adder.
The second type is the monovalent vaccine made to treat the bite of a boomslang.
A newsletter published by the African Snakebite Institute in February said monovalent boomslang anti-venom costs R6 800 per vial while polyvalent anti-venom costs R2 130 per vial.
“In boomslang bites, patients usually receive two vials of monovalent boomslang anti-venom, but in some cases a third vial may be necessary.
“In cytotoxic bites, such as a bite from a puff adder, doctors will usually start with five or six vials of polyvalent anti-venom but in serious neurotoxic bites, such as a bite from a black mamba or Cape cobra, the patient will initially receive around 10-12 vials of polyvalent anti-venom.
“Patients are monitored and may require more anti-venom later,” the newsletter reads.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Snakebite anti-venom stocks dwindle to ‘almost nothing’
No respite as SA’s snake anti-venom shortage continues
SA feels the sting of snake anti-venom shortage
Urgent plea to Phaahla to resolve snake anti-venom crisis