No shortage of snakebite anti-venom - NHLS
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) has refuted claims that there is a shortage of snakebite anti-venom.
This follows media reports this week which had said that the country is experiencing a shortage of the life-saving medicine due to the impact of load shedding.
On Wednesday, the African Snakebite Institute said for more than six months, it's been impossible to buy the treatment.
It said veterinarians, who often treat dogs for serious snakebites, have been particularly hard hit.
"Contrary to the recent media reports that there is no snakebite antivenom in the country, there is snakebite anti-venom available in South Africa and more snakebite antivenom doses are being manufactured,” the NHLS said in a statement on Friday.
"We have scaled up our snakebite antivenom production and have been dispatching units since December 2022. As such, between 1 December 2022 and 31 March 2023 we have distributed 1422 doses throughout the country and still have doses currently in the production phase.
"We have been distributing a batch of 1077 snakebite antivenom doses as from Monday and continue to maintain a limited number of doses for emergencies."
However, the health body has conceded that the continuous power cuts has made it difficult to be consistent production.
"To produce snakebite anti-venom, the NHLS requires a consistent and dependable power supply. The continuous switch over to generators during power outages interrupts production which impacts on productivity and maintaining a stockpile.
"Within a month, we would have significantly reduced the backlog, and after two months, we would be back to normal production rates. Our investments in backup power systems and renewable energy sources will allow us to meet the energy demands of our manufacturing process while also ensuring an uninterrupted supply of snakebite anti-venom to those in need."
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