Being bitten by a snake is the stuff of nightmares for people across the world, but, for many people, it is also a reality.
An estimated 2.7 million individuals are bitten by venomous snakes each year.
More than 100,000 people die from their injuries, and around three times as many suffer amputations and other permanent disabilities.
Scientists and advocates have been urging global action for years, calling snakebites one of the most neglected tropical diseases today.
The director of the University of Melbourne's Australian Venom Research Unit, David Williams, will be a core member heading a new World Health Organisation ((WHO)) drive to address the issue.
“I guess snakebite's always been one of those diseases that fall through the cracks. It’s a disease of poverty. It primarily affects the poorest people, in some of the poorest countries of the world -- people who can’t afford lobby groups, who don’t have a political voice and they simply suffer in silence.”
The plan, being developed by 28 analysts from around the globe, is aimed at halving the numbers of deaths and disabilities from snakebites by 2030.
Treating people who have been bitten relies predominantly on antivenom, but Dr Williams says access to such medication is lacking.
“Well, one of the biggest problems that we have is that the treatment of snakebite is either unavailable, inaccessible or unaffordable.”
He says many people who cannot access, or cannot afford, quality products turn to local healers.
“The reality is many of the cases simply don’t get reported. If you go to South-East Asia -- say, Cambodia or Laos -- as many as 80 per cent of people who are bitten by snakes never go to hospital, they go to traditional healers. So we could be looking at a much more severe problem, and we won’t really know until the treatment of snakebites starts to improve and more people decide to vote with their feet* and go to hospital for proper treatment, rather than relying on traditional remedies.”
Most victims live in rural areas, and many are women and children.
Children make up around 40 per cent of snakebite cases.
For those who survive, many live with permanent disabilities, from amputations to blindness.
Research shows 10 per cent of people bitten by snakes cannot go back to work after the injury.
Meanwhile, Australia, renowned worldwide for venomous snakes, is actually comparatively safe.
University of Newcastle clinical toxicologist Geoff Isbister says no more than a hundred snakebites are recorded each year in Australia, with two to four resulting in death.
“Yes, we do have dangerous snakes, but there are just as many dangerous snakes across the world. Hopping in your car and going driving is far more risky in Australia than living here and possibly being bitten by a snake.”
He says people new to Australia should not be concerned about snakes.
“Most bites occur in rural and remote regions. And, unless people who are new to Australia are living in small country towns, the risk is very low. To be honest, depending on what part of the world they’ve come from, they’re probably moving to a place where it’s far less likely they’re going to be bitten by a snake.”
Dr Isbister and Dr Williams say Australia’s research, resources and high-quality antivenom are imperative to combating the problem worldwide.
And Dr Williams is now calling on the Australian government to provide funding to keep the W-H-O mandate on track.
“There’s a lot of opportunity here to solve this problem. One of the things I think that people forget about snakebite is that, if you do a few things right at the right time, you can literally give somebody back a full productive life. There is treatment available. We just have to make sure that it’s safe, that’s it's effective and affordable, and that people have got access to it when they need it without it sending them broke in the process.”
