Kenya joined the rest of the world in marking International Snakebite Awareness Day on Saturday, with the Ministry of Health disclosing that more than 1,000 Kenyans die from snakebites every year, while hundreds more are left with permanent disabilities.
Speaking during the national commemoration held in Baringo County under the theme “Know it. Respect it. Survive it,” Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said more than 19,000 people are affected by snakebite envenoming annually in the country, with rural and pastoral communities, and children in particular, bearing a disproportionate share of the burden.
Muthoni outlined a series of measures the ministry has been rolling out to tackle the problem, including the integration of mandatory snakebite reporting into the Kenya Health Information System across all health facilities, and the activation of community-level surveillance through the Electronic Community Health Information System. She said more than 5,000 Community Health Promoters have been trained across counties considered snakebite hotspots, alongside completed county-level mapping meant to guide where interventions are prioritised.
On treatment, the PS said Kenya is working to develop its first locally manufactured antivenom through the Kenya Institute of Primate Research, using venom profiles drawn from snake species found in the country, a move officials hope will reduce reliance on imported antivenom and bring down treatment costs. Plans are also under way to establish a National Antivenom Quality Control Laboratory to ensure locally produced and imported antivenom meet efficacy standards before reaching patients.
Kenya currently co-chairs the Global Snakebite Taskforce and is credited with helping lead efforts by member states to return snakebite envenoming to the agenda of the World Health Assembly, reflecting a broader push to have the condition recognised as a neglected tropical disease deserving greater global investment and attention.