Active Public Health & Healthcare

African Snakebite Alliance

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Associated organisations Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine · Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) · University of Eswatini · University of Global Health Equity Europe PMC affiliations are not treated as award recipients or mapped locations.
Funding £4.5M
Period Jul 2023 — Jun 2028

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Every year, up to one-third of the world’s snakebite deaths happen in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet the true toll remains unknown because many deaths go uncounted and disability from bites is poorly measured. This matters because the World Health Organization’s 2019 roadmap aims to halve snakebite deaths and disability globally by 2030, but that target is undermined by a lack of high-quality research to guide policy and treatment. Without reliable data on where bites occur, which antivenoms work, and how health systems respond, efforts to reduce harm are guesswork. The African Snakebite Alliance will link international scientists with local policymakers and community groups across Africa to produce that missing evidence. If successful, the project will give national health ministries the data they need to stock effective antivenoms, train rural clinics, and track outcomes. It will also build a lasting, Africa-based research workforce so that decisions about snakebite are no longer made in a vacuum. The result could be fewer deaths and less permanent disability from a neglected medical emergency that quietly devastates farming communities across the continent.

View original technical description
The legacy of neglect of the issue of snakebite is clear. Up to one-third of annual global snakebite deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. But the neglect includes uncounted deaths and incomplete assessment of morbidity due to snakebite. The 2019 WHO roadmap has a clearly stated goal of halving snakebite deaths and disability worldwide by 2030. However, achieving that goal is considerably hampered by the lack of high-quality research evidence to inform policy and practice. Aim: To improve health outcomes for people affected by snakebite envenoming by addressing evidence gaps in policy and practice in Africa. This bold and innovative approach will transform the snakebite field by linking the international scientific community with local policy and community actors in an Alliance that is anchored in Africa. This co-ordinated approach is crucial for ensuring that the WHO goal reducing morbidity and mortality will succeed. Objectives - To undertake high-quality research relevant to improving health outcomes for people affected by snakebite in Africa - To develop systems to support national and regional bodies in Africa to incorporate research evidence into decision making in policy and practice - To develop and support a sustainable and cross-disciplinary capacity for snakebite research in Africa

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Researchers

Janna Schurer (EPMC Awardee)Jean Bosco Mbonigaba (EPMC Awardee)Rhona Mijumbi-Deve (EPMC Awardee)Sara Padidar (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Snakebite Research Alliance- Initial Activities
Developing Snakebite Research Hubs- Improving Evidence based decision making in Snakebite in Africa
NIHR Global Health Research Group on African Snakebite Research, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Redefining Approaches to Mitigate Global Snakebite Burden in a Changing World: A Zoonotic Perspective
Defining the pathophysiology of venom-induced chronic wounds to inform new treatments for snakebite victims

Original classification

Discretionary Award

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.