How can you treat a snakebite?

Rosemary Makarutse, from Madziva Nyamaropa in Zimbabwe, shares her story of getting bitten by a snake and her road to receiving treatment.
Snakebite envenoming is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by the bite of a venomous snake. Envenoming can also be caused by having venom sprayed into the eyes by certain species of snakes that have the ability to spit venom as a defence measure.
Bites by venomous snakes can cause severe paralysis that may prevent breathing, cause bleeding disorders that can lead to fatal haemorrhage and cause irreversible kidney failure and severe local tissue destruction that can cause permanent disability and limb amputation.
Children may suffer more severe effects and can experience the effects more quickly than adults. Most deaths and serious consequences from snake bites can be prevented by making safe and effective antivenoms more widely available and accessible, and raising awareness on primary prevention among communities and health workers.
Snakebite envenoming is a preventable and treatable neglected tropical disease (NTDs). Efforts to tackle NTDs are a global health success story, but the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening hard-fought progress. Concerted action and financing for NTDs is needed if we are to reach the targets of the WHO 2030 NTD road map and safeguard the hard-won gains of the past decades. Ending NTDs is possible within our lifetime - now is the moment for leaders to invest and make commitments through signing the Kigali Declaration on NTDs. Funding to tackle NTDs is one of the best investments in global health. To prepare effectively for future pandemics, health systems need to be strong and responsive to the health needs of their populations. NTD programmes strengthen institutions and catalyse lasting transformations in health systems. The eradication of NTDs is a global public good whose benefits are universal.
Find out more about snakebite envenoming here:
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