It is snake season in South Africa which means some farmers are likely to have their hands full dealing with snake bites on the farm. However, farmers will find it somewhat difficult to get their hands on anti-snake venom vaccines because Mzansi has a serious polyvalent antivenom shortage.
Polyvalent antivenom is an antiserum for snake bites and is produced by the South African Vaccine Producers (SAVP). The vaccines producer confirmed the shortage to Food For Mzansi, citing a backlog of about six months.
“This is very serious,” said the CEO of the African Snakebite Institute Johan Marais. “It’s a situation almost like Eskom. If you don’t do things right, things go wrong. Exactly what’s gone wrong? I have no idea, and I’m sure the power outages have had a big role to play.”
While details about what led to the shortage are unclear, Marais said SAVP has had production problems for the last six to eight months. At the moment, most veterinarians struggle to get antivenom due to the shortage.
Animals likely to die if bitten
“So, if you do have a serious snake bite and you need antivenom, you’re not going to have antivenom available and there is a likelihood that your animals are going to die,” he said.
Polyvalent snakebite antiserum treats snake bites from the black mamba, green mamba, Jameson’s mamba, Cape cobra, forest cobra, snouted cobra, Mozambique spitting cobra, rinkhals, puff adder, and the Gaboon viper.
Safeguard your animals
South Africa is currently in the middle of snake season and temperatures are rising, which means that farmers and farmworkers are likely to come across more snakes than usual. According to Marais, it is unfortunate that nothing can be done to protect farmworkers, farmers, and their livestock from roaming snakes.
“The snakes are wild and if the animals are out on the fields, they are likely to get bitten. There is no way that they can prevent these bites. They just happen.”
Marais warned that venom from a snake bite spreads instantly. It also depends on the type of snake and how much venom it released. Depending on several factors, animals could die within minutes, hours or days, he said.
He emphasised that under no circumstances should a bandage be tied tightly near the bite when there is swelling. He also advised in the strongest terms against piercing the site of the bite, as venom does not bleed out.
ALSO READ: ‘Help! There’s a snake on my farm’
- The article was edited on Friday, 3 February to remove advice from a health professional after errors in the nurse’s comments were pointed out to Food For Mzansi.
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