M. Saleemuddin

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), snake bites cause 81,000–138,000 deaths each year worldwide, with about half in India, and many cases go unreported. Over 300,000 people also suffer amputations or permanent disabilities. Snakebite envenoming is a significant tropical disease in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The preferred treatment is a specific antivenom made from antibodies against venom proteins, a strategy used for over a century. Due to the wide variety of snakes and their diverse venoms, finding the right antivenom for a snakebite victim is difficult. Ideally, one antivenom would work for all snakes in a region, but venom diversity has made development of such a “broad spectrum” antivenom challenging. Two studies published in the year 2025 on novel strategies for antivenom development suggest that the creation of broad-spectrum treatments for snakebite envenoming is becoming increasingly attainable. These developments point toward the potential resolution of the current “antivenom crisis” soon...read more on NOPR