2026: Nigeria Records 43,000 Snakebites Yearly Amid Antivenom Shortages
- Nigeria is facing a growing public health emergency as experts warn that snakebite cases, estimated at 43,000 annually, continue to overwhelm hospitals with limited access to antivenom
- Health professionals said victims were paying up to N250,000 per dose, a cost far beyond the reach of most rural farmers who are the hardest hit
- The recent death of rising singer Ifunanya Nwangene has intensified calls for urgent government action to subsidise treatment and boost local antivenom production
Health experts have urged the Federal Government to prioritise antivenom production and distribution across hospitals nationwide, as Nigeria records about 43,000 snakebite cases annually.
Senior health professionals stated that limited access to the life-saving treatment continued to fuel preventable deaths.
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According to PUNCH, they explained that aside from scarcity, snakebite victims were forced to pay between N180,000 and N250,000 per dose, an amount equivalent to four months’ total income for Nigerians earning the N70,000 minimum wage. Researchers on Neglected Tropical Diseases noted that weak health systems, poor infrastructure, and shortages of antivenom had left 50 per cent of health facilities unable to treat snakebite envenoming.
Calls for subsidised and local antivenom production
The experts called on the Federal Government to subsidise antivenom costs, import cheaper alternatives, and develop local production capacity. They stressed that treatment should be freely available at primary healthcare centres nationwide.
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria also demanded free nationwide access to antivenom and advocated local manufacturing to address over 2,000 preventable snakebite-related deaths recorded annually.
Rising snger’s death sparks national outcry
The crisis gained renewed attention after Abuja-based rising singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, 26, reportedly died from a snakebite last Saturday. Nwangene rose to prominence after appearing on The Voice Nigeria in 2021 and was known for blending jazz, opera, classical music, and soul.
In reaction, the Senate demanded mandatory stocking of antivenom in hospitals and urged state governments and the Federal Capital Territory Administration to establish coordinated emergency referral systems linking public and private hospitals.
Snakebite sescribed as neglected public health emergency
The Toxinological Society of Nigeria disclosed that the country records approximately 43,000 snakebite cases annually, with nearly 1,900 deaths. In a communiqué issued at the end of its 2nd Annual General Meeting on Snakebite Management and Research Interventions, held at Gombe State University, the Society described the situation as a neglected public health emergency.
A report by the global Strike Out Snakebite initiative revealed that at least 50 per cent of health facilities in Nigeria lacked the capacity to treat snakebite envenoming. It noted that weak health systems and shortages of antivenom continued to drive preventable deaths and long-term disabilities.
Experts highlight global scarcity of antivenom
Dr Nicholas Amani, Medical Director of the Snakebite Hospital and Research Centre, Kaltungo, Gombe State, described antivenom as a globally scarce commodity. He said: “The truth is that anti-snake venom is a scarce commodity all around the world. The reason is that snakebite mainly affects the less privileged, farmers, and rural dwellers, people who do not really have a voice.”
Amani explained that even specialised hospitals currently lacked adequate supplies of antivenom, adding that government efforts to address the challenge were still in progress.
Lack of commitment to local production
Professor Patricia Lar, a medical microbiologist at the University of Jos, Plateau State, criticised Nigeria’s reliance on imports from India, China, and the United Kingdom. She said: “The anti-snake venom problem is that in our country, we’re not committed to the production of the anti-snake venom. We have the science, we have people who are knowledgeable about it, but there is the general problem of a lack of commitment.”
Lar noted that the high fatality rate was linked to the prevalence of poisonous reptiles in Nigerian communities, including the capital, and the poor availability of antivenom at primary healthcare centres.
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Actions that reduces victims’ chances of surviving snakebite
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Medical Director of the Snakebite Treatment and Research Hospital, Kaltungo, Gombe State, Dr Nicholas Amani-Hamman, said tying the affected limb with pieces of cloth after a snakebite is dangerous and outdated.
Amani-Hamman warned against the use of razor blades or sharp objects to extract supposed poison. According to Amani-Hamman, such actions are injurious and could reduce a victim’s chances of survival.
As reported by The Punch, he stated this while reacting to the tragic death of singer Ifunanya Nwangene in Abuja. The medical director said first aid response is critical in snakebite cases, and the person should be told not to use the limb that is affected, not to tie the place.
Source: Legit.ng
