WHO's new strategy aims to reduce the impact of snakebite

A new strategy from the World Health Organization (WHO) aims to halve the impact of snakebite, which affects 5.4 million people each year worldwide, kills 138,000 people and leaves 400,000 people with permanent physical and psychological disabilities.

David Williams, Snake Bite Specialist at the University of Melbourne, who heads the Australian venom research unit, played a key role in shaping the strategy. as Chairman of the WHO Working Group on Snake Bites.

In India alone, snakes bite more than 2.8 million people each year, causing about 46,000 deaths. In Africa, the snake bite kills about 32,000 people each year and leaves tens of thousands of others with permanent disability.

The WHO-led strategy is the world's first plan to minimize the significant health and socio-economic costs of Snakebite. It aims to reduce by 50% the burden of deaths and disabilities by 2030, through a comprehensive strategy including the provision of up to three million effective treatments each year against snake bites.

The strategy, described in a paper written by Dr. Williams and colleagues in the latest report on PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, aims to:

• Ensure safe, effective and affordable treatment for all
• Give communities at all levels the power to act proactively
• Strengthen health systems for better results
• Build a global coalition of partners to coordinate action and mobilize resources.

Dr Williams said the huge challenge of snakebite required a coordinated effort at the global level involving political, technical and financial support from countries, development partners, philanthropists and other stakeholders.

He said that concerted action by governments and other stakeholders had generated the political support needed to move snakebites to the list of neglected tropical diseases of WHO. Advocacy by Médecins sans Frontières, Health Action International and the US Lillian Lincoln Foundation in the United States, as part of the Global Snakebite Initiative at the University of Melbourne, has been instrumental in promoting the bite of snake and in conducting the campaign with United Nations Member States.

"The WHO snake bite roadmap, to be officially launched in Geneva on May 23, is the first truly global strategy developed to reduce the burden of human suffering caused by snake bites." "said Dr. Williams.

Dr. Williams stated that the working group – a global team of 28 experts – had proposed a strategy that tackled the problem in all affected countries and emphasized the integration of response in global efforts to improve the health of the world's population.

He added that successful implementation of the roadmap depended on WHO's financial support to countries, donors and development partners.

"Investing in this work not only benefits snake bite victims, but also improves the health systems and health outcomes of entire communities, amplifying the impact and value of this approach." ", did he declare.

"The plan calls for wrapping snakebites for integration into national and regional health plans and aligns with global commitments to achieve universal health coverage and sustainable development goals," he said. said Dr. Williams.