One-shot vial to help villagers
A new snakebite antivenom could bring hope to thousands of victims.A new snakebite antivenom could bring hope to thousands of victims. By Christina Tait.
About
3600 people are bitten by venomous snakes in Papua New Guinea every
year. For the 60 per cent bitten by potentially lethal snakes,
anti-venom is far from guaranteed.
These are some
of the highest snakebite rates in the world, and in some regions
snakebite deaths outnumber malaria and tuberculosis fatalities by 3:1.
Most
vulnerable are those in remote and isolated areas where vehicles are
few and far between and the closest health centre can be a 15km walk
away.
Many of the health centres in these remote
areas don't have electricity and the necessary refrigeration to stock
antivenoms. For those that can, supplies are limited by cost and
logistics.
Estimates suggest that PNG has some of
the highest snakebite mortality rates in the world, as high as 1000 a
year, and in some regions snakebite deaths outnumber malaria and
tuberculosis fatalities by up to 3:1.
Since he
first encountered this problem in PNG years ago, Dr David Williams has
been a man on a mission to produce an affordable single-dose antivenom.
"In
one of my early visits to PNG, four people died in one week at the
village I was staying in, and witnessing how nothing could be done made
me want to stick my neck out and do something," he says.
The
snake responsible for over 80 per cent of snakebite deaths in PNG is
the Papuan taipan which is often shrouded in superstition by locals who
believe that snakebite is a tool wielded against them by a vengeful
sorcerer.
"It has the longest fangs, the most
toxic venom and one of the largest venom yields of any snake in the Asia
Pacific region," says Dr Williams. Children playing and women gardening
or gathering firewood are often victims.
"Within
as little as 2-3 hours of being bitten, the victim can experience
uncontrolled bleeding, paralysis and not be able to breathe or swallow.
Without a ventilator to keep them breathing, they will die. Giving them
antivenom before these effects occur can save many lives," he says.
"When
I first proposed developing a new taipan antivenom, many people told me
that it was too costly and technically difficult in the PNG setting,"
he says.
However, fast forward to today and Dr Williams' mission is almost accomplished.
A
new antivenom could be registered for general use within 12-18 months
if trials in Port Moresby's General Hospital are conclusive.
"This
new antivenom will cost about US$150 per vial, compared with the
existing antivenom which costs up to US$2000 per vial, and we are
confident it can be stored without refrigeration in remote and isolated
villages," Dr Williams says.
"Making antivenom
available more widely will reduce follow-on hospitalisation so that 95
per cent of snake bite patients can go home within 24 hours after their
treatment," he says.
"My vision is that within
the next 5-10 years, we can help our PNG partners to produce their own
antivenoms. This will provide employment for their upcoming scientists
and enable them to solve their own public health issues," says Dr
Williams.
"It is a project that is outside the
traditional research role and grant funding, however we are hopeful that
we will be supported to continue," he says.
Dr
Williams is well-regarded internationally for his powerful advocacy for
the plight of snakebite victims in the developing world.
"Snakebite
is unfortunately a 'neglected tropical disease' that doesn't get much
attention because it is not infectious, and is largely ignored in
tropical disease initiatives," he says.
"Our work
in PNG has been a good test case. We have taken one of the most lethal
snakes in the world in a challenging setting and developed an affordable
and sustainable solution which can be translated into other developing
countries and save many lives," says Dr Williams.
Dr
Williams currently heads Australian Venom Research at the Department of
Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Melbourne and the
Charles Campbell Toxinology Centre at the School of Medicine and Health
Sciences at the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby. He also
manages the Snakebite Clinic in the Emergency Department at the Port
Moresby General Hospital.
Visit: Al Jazeera 101 East, Papua New Guinea's Snake Man to view recent documentary