The National Snakebite Advisory Group (NSAG) has called for the intervention of Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla to alleviate the critical shortage of antivenom in South Africa.

An open letter was signed by experts in the field of snakebite treatment, calling for the prevention of a situation where life-saving care can no longer be provided to patients in need of healthcare assistance for snakebites.

NSAG wants the health minister to intervene by funding and approving emergency upgrades to allow improved functionality at the Johannesburg-based South African Vaccine Producers (SAVP) production plant.

They say the minister must ensure that the procurement processes are effectively and compliantly performed so that appropriate equipment, backup generators, reagents and other essential production items can be procured to significantly improve production that will ensure a sufficient volume of antivenom to restock the country.

Trauma surgeon

A member of NSAG and trauma surgeon Timothy Hardcastle says antivenom is a critical life-saving treatment in patients bitten by venomous snakes and has excellent outcomes when used timeously and correctly.

“The main source of reliable cost-effective antivenom against the common major venomous snakes in South Africa and other parts of the continent is the SAVP group of products, namely the 10-snake polyvalent, the Echis monovalent and the Boomslang monovalent antivenoms.

“Fortunately, there is no suitable alternative product approved for use in South Africa, even under Section 21. At present, our greatest concern and challenge is the unreliable production of the SAVP’s products due to management, staffing constraints, animal welfare, unreliable generator capacity, machine breakdowns and refrigeration issues,” Hardcastle adds.

He says there has been a promise of product since December 2022, however, more than four months have passed and at present, extremely limited numbers of polyvalent vials are left in the SAVP stores, while a large backlog of orders have yet to be filled.

“Certain public and private hospitals, many of which are situated in high snakebite areas, have already run out of stock while others have preciously little antivenom on hand.

There is also a shortage of antivenom among veterinarians, who are currently unable to acquire any antivenom. There is no sign that these will be replenished anytime soon.