A painkiller as powerful as morphine, but without most of the side-effects, has been found in the deadly venom of the black mamba say French scientists.
Toxicology
A new drug combination may protect against viper toxins
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NAKE VENOM kills around 140,000 people a year and debilitates roughly 400,000 others. One reason for these large numbers is that every venom needs a specific antivenin to treat it. In places with rich ophidian faunas, dozens of antivenins may therefore need to be kept to hand.
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Even if these are available, though, they are no guarantee of success. Someone who has been bitten may not have seen the assailant, or may be an unreliable witness. Only if the snake itself has been caught or killed can medics be sure what they are dealing with.
A la búsqueda de un antídoto definitivo contra el veneno de serpiente nationalgeographic.com.es - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalgeographic.com.es Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Drugs that neutralize lethal effects of snakebites could replace antivenom
The toxin inhibitors could someday save hundreds of thousands of people who fall victims to snakebites each year.
The puff adder (
Bitis arietans) is responsible for thousands of deaths in Africa deaths that could be preventable with the right antivenom. Credt: Wolfgang Wüster.
Snake bites may not strike you as being a major public health problem in the 21st century, and may be the last thing on your mind in a pandemic year. But every month, about 11,000 die from venomous snakebites, or about as many deaths as the whole of the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola crisis.