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Snakebite envenoming: a neglected health crisis | Collections | MSF Science Portal

Every year 2 million or more people fall victim to snakebite envenoming, mostly in poor, rural communities of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Between 83,000—138,000 of them die, while hundreds of thousands more suffer debilitating long-term complications or disabilities.


Although some antivenom medicines are highly effective when used promptly and appropriately, many snakebite victims get no treatment at all. Those who do may receive antivenoms which don’t work against the type of snake that bit them, or were not rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness.


To mark World Snakebite Awareness Day on September 19th, the Collection linked below brings together recent MSF work on this highly neglected disease. Several articles and conference presentations help fill evidence gaps on the burden of disease and its impacts or on treatment outcomes with specific antivenoms. Others examine how to tackle the formidable challenges of availability and affordability, the absence of regulatory oversight for making, testing and registering antivenoms, and the anemic R&D pipeline for new products—all of which impede access for patients to safe, effective treatment tailored to local snake species.

Collection Content

Conference Material
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Poster

Characteristics of children affected by snake bite and snake envenomation in Abs Hospital, Yemen

de Bartolome Gisbert F, Awad Alhatec MH, Hajaji A, Hindi A, Salem S,  et al.
2024-05-03 • MSF Paediatric Days 2024
2024-05-03 • MSF Paediatric Days 2024
Journal Article
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Research

Real life condition evaluation of Inoserp PAN-AFRICA antivenom effectiveness in Cameroon

Chippaux JP, Ntone R, Benhammou D, Madec Y, Noël G,  et al.
2023-11-08 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2023-11-08 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
BACKGROUND
Snakebites is a serious public health issue but remains a neglected tropical disease. Data on antivenom effectiveness are urgently needed in Africa. We assessed effectiven...
Journal Article
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Commentary

Availability, accessibility and use of antivenom for snakebite envenomation in Africa with proposed strategies to overcome the limitations

Dalhat MM, Potet J, Mohammed A, Chotun N, Tesfahunei HA,  et al.
2023-02-26 • Toxicon: X
2023-02-26 • Toxicon: X
Africa remains one of the regions with the highest incident and burden of snakebite. The goal of the World Health Organization to halve the global burden of snakebite by 2030 can only be...
Journal Article
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Research

A global core outcome measurement set for snakebite clinical trials

Abouyannis M, Esmail H, Hamaluba M, Ngama M, Mwangudzah H,  et al.
2023-02-01 • Lancet Global Health
2023-02-01 • Lancet Global Health
Snakebite clinical trials have often used heterogeneous outcome measures and there is an urgent need for standardisation. A globally representative group of key stakeholders came togethe...
Journal Article
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Commentary

Snakebite envenoming at MSF: A decade of clinical challenges and antivenom access issues

Potet J, Singh SN, Ritmeijer KKD, Sisay K, Alcoba G,  et al.
2022-12-21 • Toxicon: X
2022-12-21 • Toxicon: X
The medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides medical care in more than 70 countries and admits more than 7000 cases of snakebite in its facilities each y...
Journal Article
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Commentary

Understanding and tackling snakebite envenoming with transdisciplinary research

Gutiérrez JM, Borri J, Giles-Vernick T, Duda R, Habib AG,  et al.
2022-11-17 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2022-11-17 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Journal Article
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Review

Snakebite envenoming in humanitarian crises and migration: A scoping review and the Médecins Sans Frontières experience

Alcoba G, Potet J, Vatrinet R, Singh SN, Nanclares C,  et al.
2022-03-01 • Toxicon: X
2022-03-01 • Toxicon: X
Snakebite envenoming is a public health concern in many countries affected by humanitarian crises. Its magnitude was recognized internationally but associations between snakebite peaks a...
Journal Article
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Research

Treatment outcomes among snakebite patients in north-west Ethiopia—a retrospective analysis

Steegemans IM, Sisay K, Nshimiyimana E, Gebrewold G, Piening T,  et al.
2022-02-09 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2022-02-09 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
BACKGROUND
Millions of people are bitten by venomous snakes annually, causing high mortality and disability, but the true burden of this neglected health issue remains unknown. Since...
Journal Article
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Review

Access to antivenoms in the developing world: a multidisciplinary analysis

Potet J, Beran D, Ray N, Alcoba G, Habib AG,  et al.
2021-10-26 • Toxicon: X
2021-10-26 • Toxicon: X
Access to safe, effective, quality-assured antivenom products that are tailored to endemic venomous snake species is a crucial component of recent coordinated efforts to reduce the globa...
Journal Article
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Commentary

Snakebites and COVID-19: two crises, one research and development opportunity

Martins D, Ribeiro I, Potet J
2021-10-25 • BMJ Global Health
2021-10-25 • BMJ Global Health
SUMMARY POINTS

• Despite inherent differences, Snakebite Envenoming and COVID-19 have much in common in terms of research and development (R&D) challenges and opportunities.

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MSF Science Portal
MSF Science Portal

While Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is known mostly for providing direct medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health services, we also conduct research aimed at improving patient care and advocating for evidence-based policy and practices. To this end we conduct hundreds of research studies each year, publish extensively in peer-reviewed journals, and present our findings at scientific conferences around the world, including several annual MSF-organized events.


With the MSF Science Portal we introduce a new platform that aims to be a « one-stop shop » for content related to this work, so that users anywhere can easily find, browse, access, share and use the knowledge our research generates. Alongside frequent updates of new publications, conference materials, reports and featured content, we will continue to develop this site and to expand its range of content. To learn more about the Portal and what it offers, check out the short videos and slide presentation in this collection.

The climate crisis and health in humanitarian settings
The climate crisis and health in humanitarian settings
The climate crisis is also a health and humanitarian crisis, disproportionately impacting people in the world’s most climate-sensitive regions—mainly low- and low-middle income countries with the least capacity to respond. MSF and other humanitarian organizations witness the consequences daily. More frequent, intense weather events and a warming planet contribute to food and water scarcity, more severe and widespread disease outbreaks, and more injuries and preventable deaths. They also drive massive population displacement, with over 32 million people fleeing their homes in 2022 alone due to floods, drought, storms and fire—nearly triple the number displaced by violence and conflict. To mark Earth Day 2024 (22 April) we present a cross-section of work by MSF and collaborators, drawing from a range of data sources and from first-hand experience at our medical projects. Emphasizing the urgency of adapting humanitarian operations to the climate crisis, the collection also explores loss and damage through a health lens, proposes policies and practices for creating climate-resilient health organizations, and advocates for embedding fair, just ethics perspectives into humanitarian action and research on climate.
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MSF Scientific Days Asia 2024

MSF Scientific Days Asia 2024 is a conference that presents research, innovation, and experiences from treatment and humanitarian programmes across Asia. MSF Scientific Days brings together researchers, practitioners, academics, and patient representatives with the aim to catalyse improvements in the quality of care provided to patients and populations at risk. This is a platform for experts in the humanitarian global health field to come together, collaborate, and discuss the current trends and challenges in innovation and healthcare. 

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Snakebite envenoming: a neglected health crisis

Snakebite envenoming: a neglected health crisis