Snakebites and human rights | Pursuit by The University of Melbourne

I’ve never been a fan of snakes. It’s the people and communities that influence them that I focus on. It is this interest in humanity, perhaps the influence of growing up in a medical family, that has led me to pursue a career in neuroscience, proteomics, and clinical research.

i have joined the Australian poison research unit, based at the University of Melbourne, in 2017 as a junior medical researcher. I use epidemiological data to drive clinical improvements for snakebite patients in Australia – and around the world.

Dr. Andrew Watt (pictured) is focused on strategic growth and public engagement with the Australian Venom Research Unit. Image: Delivered

Now I manage the unit together with Dr. Timothy Jackson, an evolutionary toxinologist. He studies poisons and antidotes, and I focus on strategic growth and public engagement. Both positions require the success of the other.

We learned to work together and lead a research unit that combines international research and a medical distribution program in a low- to middle-income country – all during a global pandemic. The collaboration has fostered not only a great friendship, but also one of the university’s largest health care programs.

Deadly snake bites and save lives

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We started working on the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Snakebite Partnership in 2018. This is an initiative recently extended to 2023 by the National Department of Health of PNG, the Australian High Commission and vaccine supplier Seqirus Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of CSL. It is administered and operated by the Charles Campbell Toxinology Laboratory (CCTL) in Port Moresby, which is a collaboration between the University of Melbourne and the University of Papua New Guinea.

PNG is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse nations in the world. It is also home to some highly venomous snakes, including the Papuan taipan and the death otter.

Every year around 1000 people are said to die from snake bites in PNG, compared to around four Australians. Before the PNG Snakebite Partnership, an antidote could cost up to A $ 2,000 per vial, a fortune in PNG. And since snakebites particularly affect people in their most productive years, families have often faced either significant medical debt or the loss of both their loved ones and the main source of income in their household.

A snakebite ambulance travels through PNG’s central province to distribute life-saving antidotes. Image: Delivered

The PNG Snakebite Partnership distributes up to 600 vials of antidote throughout PNG annually. Seqirus is donating the antidote and the Australian government is providing financial support for the administration and distribution of the antidote and for training health workers to deal with snakebite patients.

Our team helped Hand out 1,450 vials of antidotes for snakes and poisonous marine life and train hundreds of health workers with snake-bite-specific clinical training. We also visited 60 health centers to provide snakebite management and snakebite reporting training, and to assist the PNG government in building capacity and sustainability in the supply of biologics across the country.

Australia’s antidotes help snake bite victims in Papua New Guinea

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The success of the program is mainly due to the great work of our local team. On site, our pharmacist and project manager Geno Roalakona and our clinical nurse and snakebite trainer Andrew Maru are doing an incredible job in a challenging and constantly changing environment. To say the work was rewarding is an understatement.

Snakebite primarily affects the poorest members of society. The World Health Organization defines snakebites as a neglected tropical category A disease. When poor people are bitten, the luxury of modern health care is often far removed from its reality.

Those lucky enough to survive a venomous snakebite are often financially troubled physically crippled by the treatment costs and the effects of the poison. Since the majority of bite patients are among the most productive members of society – young men and women of working age – disability after a snakebite can prevent survivors from earning an income, making them a lifelong financial burden for their family members.

LR: Dr. Timothy Jackson, Mr. Owen Paiva and Ms. Krutika Wikhe work in the laboratory of the Australian Venom Research Unit. Image: Delivered

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our work. There are logistical challenges, including delivery delays of vials to vulnerable and remote communities, and the ventilators typically used for snakebite patients are being relocated to COVID-19 clinics. We are also working with health authorities to ensure that all of our local nurses and clinic staff have access to COVID-19 vaccines in PNG.

Our mission is to become a center of excellence in the Asia-Pacific region. Despite the hurdles, Tim and I, along with our team of laboratory, clinical and support staff, continue our innovative and strategic research and information analysis on this neglected problem of poisonous animal poisoning.

– As Harriet Edmund tells

Banner: Geno Roalakona picks up antidote from the refrigerators at the Charles Campbell Toxinology Laboratory (a collaboration between the University of Melbourne and the University of PNG) / delivery