Antivenom : Report
A terrible number, estimated 58000 snakebite cases renders India the ‘snakebite capital’ of the world and in this regard antivenoms plays a crucial role.
- Antivenoms are life-saving medicines used to treat snakebites.
- They work by specifically binding to the venom toxins to render them ineffective, allowing the body’s natural defence systems to clear them safely over time.
- Snake venom is one of nature’s most lethal weapons, a complex cocktail of toxic proteins.
- Haemotoxins destroy blood cells and disrupt clotting. Neurotoxins block nerve signals and paralyse.
- Cytotoxins dissolve tissues at the bite site. The effects are often fatal without medical intervention.
- The experts extract these antibodies from the horse’s blood and purify and formulate them as antivenoms.
- The antibodies thus produced are very specific to the type of toxins injected.
- Polyvalent antivenoms (PVAs) target multiple snake species. However, their efficacy varies against less common snakes.
