World running out of snakebite antidote

One of the world’s most effective snakebite treatments is to be withdrawn, putting tens of thousands of lives at risk. Fresh supplies of Fav-Afrique, which neutralises 10 different snakebites in sub-Saharan Africa, are desperately needed
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Fav-Afrique: Last batch will expire in June 2016. Manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur says it has been priced out of market by cut-price, but less effective drugs

Puff adder (Bitis arietans): Responsible for most snakebite fatalities in Africa
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NUMBER OF DEATHS PER YEAR
<10
11-100
101-1,000
1,001-10,000
>10,000 

Sub-Saharan Africa: 30,000 die every year from snakebite, 8,000 undergo amputations
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PEOPLE BITTEN WORLDWIDE

Permanently disabled 400,000

Killed 100,000
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Source: Medicins Sans Frontieres, The global burden of snakebite: PLOS Medicine, 2008

Picture: Bernard DUPONT

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