A campaign to improve treatment of snakebites

VOICE ONE: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Doug Johnson. VOICE TWO: And I'm Faith Lapidus. This week, we will tell about a campaign to improve treatment of snakebites. VOICE ONE: More than four million people around the world are bitten by snakes each year. At least one hundred twenty-five thousand of these people die. Almost three million others are seriously injured. Doctors and researchers say the world does not provide enough good treatment for poisonous snakebites. To help improve the situation, experts have formed a project called the Global Snakebite Initiative. Poisonous snakebites are common in rural areas of many developing countries with warm climates. Many victims are agricultural workers and children in Asia and southern Africa. Shortages of antivenin medicines, the treatment for snakebite, are common there. Existing supplies may not be high quality or developed correctly for local needs. VOICE TWO: Ken Winkel directs the University of Melbourne's Australian Venom Research Unit. He and university scientist David Williams are among the organizers of the Global Snakebite Initiative. Other project leaders are from Britain, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica and Singapore. The International Society of Toxicology supported the Initiative at the recent World Congress of Plant, Animal and Microbial Toxins in Recife, Brazil. Doctor Winkel says antivenin treatment is too costly for many poor people who need it most. The drugs are developed from the venom of poisonous snakes. VOICE ONE: The Global Snakebite Initiative is working to increase the availability of good quality antivenin treatments and improve medical training for patient care. Another goal is to help manufacturers of antivenin medicines improve their products. The project also wants communities to learn about snakebites and first aid. It wants more research and reporting systems. And it aims to help national health officials choose antivenins for their countries' special needs. The antivenin that cures the bite of one kind of snake may not be effective for another kind of snake. And the medicines for a cobra bite in the Philippines may not work for someone bitten by a similar snake in West Africa. Experts look forward to improvements in worldwide treatment for snakebite. But they say the best ways to reduce death and injury from snakebites are education and prevention. VOICE TWO: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Jerilyn Watson and Brianna Blake, who was also our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus. VOICE ONE: And I'm Doug Johnson. Transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our programs are at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America. Source: Voice of America