17/11/2025
Antivenom “crisis”
Firstly, there is no antivenom crisis, despite misinformation being spread on social media.
Since Covid the South African Vaccine Producers, part of our National Health Laboratories, ran into major production problems and their stock of polyvalent antivenom, which is used for most serious snakebites in Southern Africa, ran dry. They then announced that they were upgrading their facilities and would be back in production as from November 2025.
Less than 800 snakebite victims are hospitalised annually in South Africa, and most victims are not treated with antivenom, as most bites are from harmless snakes, mildly venomous snakes or highly venomous snakes that inject very little venom. Bear in mind that medical doctors treat snakebite symptoms, not snakebites.
Less than 100 snakebite victims are treated with antivenom in South Africa every year and each victim receives, on average, 6-12 vials of polyvalent antivenom, whereas less than half a dozen Boomslang victims receive one or two vials of monovalent Boomslang antivenom. That is far less than 1,500 vials of antivenom a year and at their peak, SAVP was producing about ten times that a year.
Far more antivenom is used on pets, specifically dogs. Most breeds of dogs are natural hunters and attack snakes the moment one is spotted. Most bites on dogs, where highly venomous snakes are involved, result in severe envenomation and in most instances 1-4 vials of antivenom are administered. Many dog lives are saved if antivenom is administered early enough, but many dogs die because of the rapid onset of symptoms.
The cost of polyvalent antivenom is just over R2,000.00 per vial and treating a human with antivenom after a serious snakebite, can easily cost more than R100,000.00. In cases where patients need several operations because of tissue damage, the bill can easily exceed R1M. In the case of a pet being treated with antivenom the costs may vary from R5,000.00 to more than R30,000.00.
At this stage we cannot confirm whether SAVP has sufficient stock of antivenom, but for the past few years, private hospitals, state hospitals and veterinarians have been using an imported product called PANAF Polyvalent. It is imported from India, costs just over R2,000.00 per vial and is approved by the World Health Organisation. It covers the venom of the medically important snakes in Southern Africa, comes in powder form, does not require refrigeration and has a four-year shelf life.
The suppliers currently have adequate stock, and any hospital or veterinary clinic can purchase as much as they wish. Should anyone experience any difficulty in obtaining antivenom, please contact Johan Marais of the African Snakebite Institute at +27 82 494 2039 or [email protected].
