London-Based Charity Inject £80m To Fight Snake Bites Around The World

Britain's Wellcome Trust global health charity is injecting £80 million into new research about treating snake bites, calling it a “hidden health crisis”. Snake bites kill 120,000 people a year and up to 400,000 people suffer life-changing injuries form bites, including amputations. Researchers point to the over 100-year-old process of making antivenom which is expensive and unreliable. The trust hopes the money will lead to some new innovations around the treatment and accessibility of treating snake bites, which overwhelmingly affect the poorest communities in Africa, Asia and South America.