The reported loss of about 250 persons to snakebites in Plateau and Gombe States on account of the shortage of anti-venom drugs in the country is shocking. It is embarrassing that the country ran out of this critical life-saving medicine at this time that the antidote is sorely needed to save people from snakebites, especially in farming communities and other places with overgrown weeds. The number of those who lost their lives to snakebites was reportedly confirmed by three snakebite treatment centres in the two most affected states.
Besides the dead, hundreds of other victims are said to be in a critical condition, with doctors unable to treat them because of the lack of the anti-venom drugs known as Echitab Plus ICP polyvalent and Echitab G monovalent. These drugs were reported to have been last supplied to the country in August 2017.
An average of six people are said to have died daily out of an average of about 50 victims who seek treatment every day, according to the medical personnel handling the emergency cases in the affected states. Apart from Plateau and Gombe States, victims of snakebite have reported from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno and Taraba states. Officials at the treatment centres say they received at least 750 patients between August and October this year, with many of the victims bleeding uncontrollably as a result of bites from viper snakes.
Reports from the three treatment centres – Kaltungo General Hospital and Ali Mega Pharmacy in Gombe State, and Comprehensive Medical Centre, Zamko, Plateau State – paint a gory picture of the agonies of snakebite victims.
We urge the Federal Government to ensure the immediate supply of the critical anti-venom drugs. It is shameful that the drugs were allowed to run out because orders were not placed for them on time. Anyone who is found culpable for the lateness in ordering the drugs, which led to the gap in its supply, should be made to account for the negligence. Anti-venom drugs reportedly cost between N15,000 and N30,000 per vial, with some fraudulent persons already taking advantage of the shortage to sell them for as high as N43,000 per vial, even when the quality is in doubt.
Because of the high cost of the drug (Echitab), there are also reports that traditional healers have taken advantage of the situation to extort money from snakebite victims. The shortage of the drug is said to have resulted in a sharp rise in the prices of other options. It has also led to the production of fake and adulterated vaccines.
Government should seriously consider developing the capacity for local production of anti-venom, to avoid this type of shortage. Mr. Tim Golu, the member of the House of Representatives representing Pankshin, Kanam and Kanke in Plateau State, has reportedly initiated a bill for the establishment of a National Centre for Research and Production of Snake Vaccines, which will soon go through public hearing. It is necessary to support the passage of this bill into law to put an end to the shortage of anti-venom drugs in the country. Snakebites are common during harvest seasons and the government has a responsibility to ensure that anti-venom drugs are always available in the country. Farmers, miners and other rural dwellers who are the main victims of snakebites contribute to the Nigerian economy. They deserve to be promptly treated whenever they suffer snakebites.
Statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) also show that Nigeria records 174 snakebites per 100,000 persons. In the Benue valley, for instance, where snakebites are common, the statistics show that there are 497 snakebites per 100,000 people every year, with a mortality rate of 12.2 percent.
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State said recently that the state has spent about N30 million on the treatment of snakebite victims because most of the patients are unable to afford the cost of treatment. The Federal Government had, in 2011, promised that it would make snakebite drugs available and affordable. That promise is yet to be fulfilled. Only recently too, a student of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Kastina State, Zainab Umar, died from snakebite.
The latest WHO report has described snakebite as a neglected public health problem for most countries in Africa, including Nigeria. Many cases are also unreported, and therefore, do not appear in official epidemiological statistics, especially in the rural areas where the population is vulnerable.
The relevant health authorities should immediately embark on aggressive public enlightenment programmes which should focus on the need for farmers to wear protective boots and gloves during harvesting. The people should also be told the immediate steps to take when beaten by snakes and the places they can access treatment. Currently, many health workers do not have adequate training on the management of snakebite and appropriate anti-venom drugs are not always available. Snakebites are deadly if not promptly and adequately treated.
The Federal Ministry of Health should ensure that hospitals and clinics in the affected states are well supplied with anti-venom vaccines.