Pecohub Antivenom shortages and weak treatment capacity are undermining Nigeria’s response to snakebite envenoming, with frontline health workers warning that preventable deaths and long-term disabilities are rising despite the condition being both treatable and preventable.
A new report released by the global Strike Out Snakebite (SOS) initiative to mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day 2026 reveals that 50 per cent of health facilities surveyed across high-burden countries lack full capacity to treat snakebite cases. The findings are based on a survey of 904 healthcare workers in Nigeria, Brazil, India and Indonesia, countries that together account for a significant share of the global burden.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that snakebite envenoming causes up to 138,000 deaths and about 400,000 permanent disabilities annually.
Representing nearly half of the global burden of all neglected tropical diseases, snakebite was designated a priority NTD by WHO in 2017, followed by a global target in 2019 to halve deaths and disability from the condition by 2030.
Nigeria featured prominently in the report as one of the countries grappling with entrenched systemic failures. Of Nigerian healthcare workers surveyed, 98 per cent reported challenges administering antivenom, the only WHO-listed essential medicine for snakebite treatment.
Respondents cited delayed patient arrival at health facilities, poor infrastructure and equipment, and gaps in training and clinical guidelines as major contributors to avoidable deaths and disabilities.
Nigeria is home to 29 snake species, nearly half of which are venomous. However, 57 per cent of Nigerian respondents reported delays in patients reaching healthcare facilities, while 56 per cent pointed to poor infrastructure and inadequate equipment at treatment centres. Another 42 per cent said insufficient training and lack of clear clinical guidelines continue to undermine effective care.
Across all four countries surveyed, 99 per cent of healthcare workers said they face difficulties administering antivenom, including limited training to monitor disease progression. Thirty-five per cent reported daily antivenom shortages, while more than 77 per cent said patients experience life-threatening delays in seeking treatment, often due to reliance on traditional or alternative remedies.
The consequences of these delays are severe. About 44 per cent of respondents said avoidable delays had resulted in amputations or major surgery, outcomes that permanently affect livelihoods and push families deeper into poverty, particularly in rural communities where snakebite is most prevalent.
Co-Chair of the Global Snakebite Taskforce, Elhadj As Sy, said the report underscores how frontline healthcare workers continue to shoulder the greatest burden of the crisis while being overlooked in global health decision-making.
He stressed that although solutions exist, they require political will and bold commitments from governments, partners and investors. Snakebite, he said, must no longer be overlooked or underfunded by the international community.
The Global Snakebite Taskforce, the strategic arm of SOS, called for urgent investment in antivenom research and development, expanded affordable and high-quality manufacturing, improved data and monitoring, and stronger collaboration between governments, non-governmental organisations and local health systems.
Nigerian healthcare workers also highlighted the need for improved access to facilities and better antivenom quality as immediate priorities.
