Esther Kangali experienced excruciating pain while working on her mother’s farm in eastern Kenya.
She looked down to see a large snake wrapped around her left leg.
Her screams brought her mother running.
Despite being rushed to a nearby health center, there was no antivenom available.
Even a referral hospital lacked the necessary treatment.
By the time she reached a hospital in Nairobi two days later, her leg had to be amputated due to the delay.
The 32-year-old mother of five believes her ordeal could have been prevented if local clinics in snakebite-prone areas were stocked with antivenom.
Kitui County, where the Kangalis reside, has the second highest number of snakebite victims in Kenya, according to the health ministry, which reported 20,000 cases last year.
Annually, around 4,000 people in Kenya die from snakebites, while 7,000 suffer from paralysis or other severe complications, as noted by the local Institute of Primate Research.
The situation appears to be worsening. As deforestation and agricultural expansion continue, and climate patterns become more erratic, snakes are increasingly encroaching on human settlements.
Geoffrey Maranga, a senior herpetologist at the Kenya Snakebite Research and Intervention Center, explained,
“We are causing adverse effects on their habitats like forest destruction, and eventually we are having snakes come into our homes primarily to seek for water or food, and eventually we have the conflict between humans and the snakes.”
Climate change exacerbates the issue, driving snakes into homes in search of water during dry spells and shelter during wet periods.
Maranga and his colleagues are collaborating with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to develop effective and safe snakebite treatments, aiming to eventually produce antivenom locally.
Maranga’s center estimates that over half of those bitten by snakes in Kenya do not seek hospital treatment due to cost and accessibility issues, often opting for traditional remedies instead.
Currently, Kenya imports antivenom from Mexico and India.
However, antivenom is typically region-specific, meaning treatments effective in one area may not work in another.
Part of Maranga and his colleague Fredrick Angotte’s work involves extracting venom from the black mamba, one of Africa’s most dangerous snakes.
This venom is crucial for creating the next generation of antivenom.
“The current conventional antivenoms are quite old and suffer certain inherent deficiencies,” said George Omondi, the head of the Kenya Snakebite Research and Intervention Center, noting side effects as a key issue.
The researchers anticipate that improved antivenoms will be available in two to three years.
They estimate that Kenya will need 100,000 vials annually, though local production capacity remains uncertain.
Their research also aims to make antivenom more affordable. Even when available, up to five vials may be required, costing as much as $300.
In the meantime, the research center conducts community outreach, educating health workers and the public on snakebite prevention, first aid, and treatment.
The objective is to reduce the number of Kenyans who suffer like Kangali’s neighbor, Benjamin Munge, who died in 2020 four days after a snakebite due to the unavailability of antivenom.
Kangali’s mother, Anna, believes the solution lies with humans: “If the snakebite medicine can come to the grassroots, we will all get help.”
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