Don urges FG to tackle effects of pesticides, snakebite poison

On Apr 30, 2024

Prof. Abdulrazaq Habib of Infection and Tropical Diseases Epidemiology at the Bayero University Kano, has urged the Federal Government to tackle the effect of pesticides and snakebites in the country. He said this at the opening of a two-day workshop on integrating and strengthening emergency care of poisoned and envenomed patients in West Africa in Abuja on Monday.

According to him, Nigeria has the highest burden of snakebite envenoming on the African continent.

Similarly, pesticides and other forms of agricultural poisoning are a large burden on the continent. He said there was a need to integrate and strengthen the management of poisons in general.

He said it was imperative to integrate the management of the duo and it could strengthen the poison centres within the country and also improve the understanding of the problems.

Prof. Michael Eddleston, Director, Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention, University of Edinburgh, UK, said the aim of the programme was to stop people dying from pesticides poisoning.

He said he was partnering with others to work out on the long term consequences of exposure to pesticides in food, water and people spraying as well.

Mr David Williams, a Scientist Anti-venoms, World Health Organisation (WHO), said snakebite remained a big problem for rural communities, adding it had probably claimed 40,000 lives a year across sub Saharan Africa.

He added that it had left six times more people permanently disabled and were unable to support their families and also earn a living.

He added that there were better ways to collect information and data to inform governments so they could set policy.

“And of course there are big problems with shortages of safe and effective treatments for antivenoms. There are problems with inadequate training for health workers and communities not knowing the right ways that they can prevent and avoid snakebite.”

Dr. Usman Abdulrahman, Consultant, Infectious and Tropical Diseases, said they would work hard to reduce the impact of pesticides poisoning and snakebite complications in Nigeria.

According to him, “we are looking at how these big mysteries that have come, especially on the side of anti-venom, how they can be able to help Nigeria to supply anti-venom”.

He said they would look at how anti snake venom could be accessed, especially in the rural areas.

So, these are the tools we are going to discuss in this workshop. He said, “we are looking at a very big grant from the University of Edinburgh in this area and at the same time, the issue of a snake bite, treatment and prevention”.

He said they were also looking at the establishment of integrated poison centres across the country and sub saharan Africa.

Dr Adedayo Peters, Director, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Federal Ministry of Health, said the ministry had received more than 5,000 cases of snake bites.

According to him, there are three very common poisonous snakes in Nigeria – the spitting cobra, the carpet viper and the black cobra.

“They are the types you have in Nigeria. These poisonous snakes are more common in some parts of the country where you have snakes everywhere. We have treatment centres where people are bitten by snakes, usually go to and they are given treatments,” he said.

NAN/Wumi