Staff Reporter.
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) has refuted claims that there is a shortage of snakebite anti-venom in the country.
This follows earlier reports from the African Snakebite Institute that called the shortage a crisis.
CEO Johan Marais said they have been inundated with calls from doctors, hospitals and vets and stressed that there was a backlog of at least six months.
The NHLS says they have scaled up their antivenom production and in the past four months distributed 1 422 doses throughout the country and this week alone, a batch of 1 077.
“We recognise and appreciate the public’s concern about the current snakebite antivenom shortage, but we urge South Africans not to panic. We are working hard to make this life-saving treatment for snake bites available to everyone, including animals, regardless of location. The NHLS management is taking this matter very seriously and is working hard to resolve it” read the statement.
It did, however, concede that load-shedding was making it difficult for them to be consistent in their production.
“Our investments in backup power systems and renewable energy sources will allow us to meet the energy demands of our manufacturing process while also ensuring an uninterrupted supply of snakebite antivenom to those in need,” it said.
The NHLS said they would have significantly reduced the backlog within a month and after two months, production will be back to normal rates.
Steve Meighan, the owner of Deep South Reptile Rescue, said desperate vets were using expired stock to save animals. He said another plan was to supply mosquito nets to rural residents as they could keep them safer as snakes hunted at night.
Mike Perry, who provides snake venom to the South African Vaccine Producers to create antivenom, said the shortage was not due to a lack of venom.
“I have supplied snake venom to them since 1999. They work on a five-year buffer stock, meaning if I stop venom production they can carry on producing anti-venom for another five years. The problem is that the facilities are 50 years old. Load shedding breaks their old machines … It takes many weeks for them to find spares to fix these machines.
Compiled by Lehlohonolo Lehana.