Snakebite death exposes Nigeria’s healthcare flaw, spurs $12m antivenom push

Nigeria would need a one-off investment of about $12 million to establish a local antivenom production facility and prevent thousands of avoidable deaths each year, pharmacists say, as a recent snakebite death in Abuja renewed scrutiny of the country’s fragile response to a long-neglected public health threat.

The call follows the death of Ifunanya Nwangene, a 26-year-old singer who rose to national attention after appearing on The Voice Nigeria in 2021. Nwangene died after visiting two hospitals in Abuja that were unable to administer antivenom.

Her death has sparked an outpouring of grief and outrage of the nation’s dismal healthcare system.

Nigeria records an estimated 20,000 snakebite cases annually, resulting in more than 2,000 preventable deaths and leaving about 1,700 people permanently disabled, according to the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria. Snakebite envenoming remains one of the country’s most overlooked health emergencies, despite antivenom being listed as an essential medicine.

“Stock-outs, delays and what we call the referral trap are costing lives,” said Ambrose Eze, the association’s national chairman. “Any delay caused by cost, availability or lack of trained personnel can be fatal.”

While Nigeria currently imports antivenoms, Eze said the country spends nearly $12 million each year on foreign supplies – roughly the same amount required to set up a domestic production facility. He urged the federal government to declare snakebite envenoming a National Health Priority, classify it as a Neglected Tropical Disease, and place antivenom treatment under the national health insurance scheme to ease costs that can reach ₦40,000 per patient.

Globally, snakebite envenoming affects between 435,000 and 580,000 people in Africa each year, causing about 30,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The burden falls disproportionately on rural communities, farmers, women and children, where access to timely medical care is weakest.

A new report by the Strike Out Snakebite (SOS) initiative, released to mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2026, highlights the scale of Nigeria’s challenge. Based on a survey of 904 frontline healthcare workers across Nigeria and four other high-burden countries, the report found that at least half of Nigerian health facilities lack the capacity to treat snakebite cases.

Nearly 98% of Nigerian healthcare workers surveyed reported major difficulties administering antivenom, while 35% said shortages were a daily occurrence. Delays in patients reaching hospitals, poor infrastructure and lack of training were identified as key drivers of avoidable deaths and amputations—outcomes that often plunge affected households into poverty.

“Nigeria has 29 species of snakes, about 41% of them venomous, yet access to treatment remains dangerously limited,” the report said.

Globally, snakebite envenoming kills up to 138,000 people each year and leaves another 400,000 with permanent disabilities, according to Elhadj As Sy, co-chair of the Global Snakebite Taskforce. “It is baffling that a preventable and treatable condition remains so underfunded and invisible to decision-makers,” he said.

Health advocates say Nigeria’s snakebite crisis illustrates a broader financing problem: weak investment in local pharmaceutical production, overstretched health infrastructure and the absence of risk-pooling mechanisms to protect vulnerable patients.

“The solutions exist,” As Sy said. “What’s missing is sustained political will and investment to turn snakebite from a death sentence into a manageable medical emergency.”