Panic spreads after Ifunnaya’s death  exposes anti-venom gaps in hospitals

   – Over 98% of healthcare professionals lack anti venom training 

Fear is spreading across parts of Nigeria, in particularly, Northern Nigeria,  on account of the  tragic death of  fast-rising singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, who  died few weeks ago from  snakebite in Lugbe area of  Abuja.

The 26 year old lady,  who appeared  in Season 3 of The Voice Nigeria, was said to have been to two separate hospitals in search of urgent treatment, but was  reportedly  not attended to because both facilities lacked the required anti-venom. Her death has ignited conversation on safety of Nigerians when suddenly confronted with life- threatening emergency.

Her death, it could be recalled, is now the third recorded fatal snake bite incident in Abuja in recent years, raising  anxiety among residents not only in FCT, but the entire Northern part of the country, where incidence of snakebite is rampant, especially in Northeast.

Her death also heightened discussion about both environmental safety and the preparedness of health facilities to handle such emergencies.

It could be recalled that in 2021, a Nigerian Air Force operative, Lance Corporal Bercy Ogah, gave up the ghost after a venomous snake bit her in the toilet of her accommodation at a NAF base on Bill Clinton Drive. She later died at the NAF hospital in Abuja after complications from the bite.

In the same manner,  in 2015, a young man in Yangoji community in Kwali Area Council allegedly  died after being bitten by a snake when he was on a hunting campaign near a stream. He was taken to a local clinic but did not survive.

Residents say the latest incident has triggered fresh fear, with many now worried about their safety even inside their homes.

Anxiety Everywhere

A Lugbe resident, Jimoh Okanlawo told Business Hallmark via a telephone that he no longer sleeps comfortably following the news.

“I can tell you ever since we heard Ifunnaya’s story,  we have been living on edge, everyone around here has been living in fear. You don’t know where these snakes are hiding anymore. Even inside the house, you’re not at peace,” she said.

Another resident of Lugbe, Comrade Fache Isiaka,  a social critic, told this medium that “We know that anti snake venom is different and difficult to procure, and that it has its own peculiar storage system, that doesn’t mean it should not be available in large quantity in a place like Abuja.”

He urged relevant authorities to urgently address the lacuna; and also look into  environmental sanitation efforts and strengthen emergency health response systems across the FCT.

“Snakes thrive in bushy environment”, he stated, blaming overgrown bushes, poor waste disposal and inadequate drainage for creating breeding grounds and safe havens for snakes and other dangerous reptiles.

“Routine clearing of bushes in public spaces and residential areas will go a long way in reducing this threat. But beyond that, hospitals must be equipped with anti-venom, and trained personnel to handle snake bite emergencies,” he said.

According to him, timely access to proper treatment often determines survival in snake bite cases, stressing that the recent tragedy should serve as a wake-up call for authorities to prioritise public safety and healthcare preparedness.

A  New Yahya  resident, David Ojukokaiye, said he  had previously seen  snakes in his former residence near a swampy area, where two were killed.

In Lokogoma’s Sunnyvale Estate, another resident raised alarm over reptile sightings in the area, recalling that a large python was recently killed within the estate.

The incidents have left many residents calling for urgent action to prevent further loss of life, warning that without improved sanitation and better-equipped health facilities, similar tragedies may continue to occur.

The Abuja tragedy has worried health experts, who  have called on the Federal Government to set much premium on antivenom production and its availability across hospitals nationwide as Nigeria records 43,000 snakebite cases annually.

According to them  limited access to the life-saving treatment continues to drive snakebite deaths in the country.

High Cost of Vials

They averred that apart from the avoidable scarcity of antivenom, snakebite victims pay between N180,000 and N250,000 per dose, an amount equivalent to about four months’ total income for Nigerians earning the N70,000 minimum wage.

They noted that  fragile health systems, infrastructure, and shortages of antivenom have continued to foster  preventable deaths and long-term disabilities, as 50 per cent of health facilities in the country lack the capacity to treat snakebite envenoming.

The experts called on the Federal Government to subsidize antivenom costs, import cheaper alternatives while developing local production capacity, and make the treatment freely available at primary healthcare centres nationwide.

The Toxinological Society of Nigeria recently disclosed that Nigeria records approximately 43,000 snakebite cases every year, with nearly 1,900 deaths. In the far North areas such Katagum in Gombe and others, snakebites are very common and they have local alternatives to tackle the problem.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its 2nd Annual General Meeting on Snakebite Management and Research Interventions, held at Gombe State University, the Society described the situation as a neglected public health emergency.

Coming on the heels of  Nwangene’s unfortunate death, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria called on the Federal Government to make antivenom free nationwide and advocated local antivenom manufacturing to address over 2,000 preventable snakebite-related deaths recorded annually.

A report by the global Strike Out Snakebite initiative showed that at least 50 per cent of health facilities in Nigeria lack the capacity to treat snakebite envenoming.

It noted that weak health systems, poor infrastructure, and shortages of life-saving antivenom continue to drive preventable deaths and long-term disabilities, particularly in high-burden countries such as Nigeria.

Lack of Capacity

The report also revealed that 50 per cent of health workers said their facilities lacked the full capacity to manage snakebite cases, while 99 per cent reported difficulties administering antivenom, the only treatment recognised by the World Health Organisation as essential for snakebite care.

In Nigeria, the situation was described as, particularly troubling, with 98 per cent of healthcare workers surveyed reporting challenges in administering antivenom.

But Dr. Abiola Aderibigbe, a  veterinary doctor said Antivenom shortages and weak treatment capacity are undermining Nigeria’s response to snakebite envenoming, with frontline health workers warning that preventable deaths and long-term disabilities are rising despite the condition being both treatable and preventable.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that snakebite envenoming causes up to 138,000 deaths and about 400,000 permanent disabilities annually. Representing nearly half of the global burden of all neglected tropical diseases, snakebite was designated a priority NTD by WHO in 2017, followed by a global target in 2019 to halve deaths and disability from the condition by 2030.

Nigeria featured prominently in the report as one of the countries grappling with entrenched systemic failures. Of Nigerian healthcare workers surveyed, 98 per cent reported challenges administering antivenom, the only WHO-listed essential medicine for snakebite treatment.

Respondents cited delayed patient arrival at health facilities, poor infrastructure and equipment, and gaps in training and clinical guidelines as major contributors to avoidable deaths and disabilities.

Poor Response Time

According to reports, Nigeria is home to 29 snake species, nearly half of which are venomous. However, 57 per cent of Nigerian respondents reported delays in patients reaching healthcare facilities, while 56 per cent pointed to poor infrastructure and inadequate equipment at treatment centres. Another 42 per cent said insufficient training and lack of clear clinical guidelines continue to undermine effective care.

Across all four countries surveyed, 99 per cent of healthcare workers said they face difficulties administering antivenom, including limited training to monitor disease progression. Thirty-five per cent reported daily antivenom shortages, while more than 77 per cent said patients experience life-threatening delays in seeking treatment, often due to reliance on traditional or alternative remedies.

The consequences of these delays are severe. About 44 per cent of respondents said avoidable delays had resulted in amputations or major surgery, outcomes that permanently affect livelihoods and push families deeper into poverty, particularly in rural communities where snakebite is most prevalent.

Co-Chair of the Global Snakebite Taskforce, Elhadj As Sy, said the report underscores how frontline healthcare workers continue to shoulder the greatest burden of the crisis while being overlooked in global health decision-making.

The Global Snakebite Taskforce, the strategic arm of SOS, called for urgent investment in antivenom research and development, expanded affordable and high-quality manufacturing, improved data and monitoring, and stronger collaboration between governments, non-governmental organisations and local health systems.

Strike Out Snakebite, launched in 2025, said it is seeking increased funding and political commitment to accelerate progress towards the WHO’s 2030 targets. The initiative works across research and development, antivenom access, public health and advocacy to keep snakebite firmly on the global health agenda.

Snakebites are a major, often fatal, public health issue in northern Nigeria, particularly in the savanna regions of the North-East. The crisis is driven by high snake populations, the reliance of farming communities on the land, and significant,, often fatal, shortages of anti-venom in local hospitals.

Abayomi Oni, a health worker said  “Apart from Lagos that has viable  ambulance service, which is very impressive, no other states have it to deal with emergency, such as Ifunnaya’s. Other states don’t have.

He noted that if ambulance service had been available to Ifunnaya 10 minutes before complications, she would have been saved.” A serious government would ensure ambulance  services for all the major towns.

Ahmed  Yekini, a medical doctor, said  “When it comes to snakebite, there’s a need for urgent first aid, which is to cover the bite section by tightening clothes to prevent the venom spreading to other parts of the body.

He noted that the incidence is high in the North than in the South. He also mentioned the high cost of acquiring venom which, according to him, is as high as N145,000.

“And it expires, so hospitals prefer  not to buy in bulk.

Yekini stated that private hospitals do not have the means to buy in bulks because its expensive, saying It’s only government hospitals that have the means.

Dr.  Samson Akinpelu, a trado-medical practitioner said “Snakebites are better treated trado-medically.  What happens is that traditional practitioners have a local concoction that will remove the venom in minutes, that’s what the Yoruba call Aporo Ijebu.