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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/eab8b6a2-653d-420c-8370-2b442cc0f491/20.png About Us - WHO & UNDP WHO's Snakebite Envenoming Strategy for Prevention and Control The goal of WHO’s strategy is to prevent and control snakebite envenoming in order to halve the numbers of deaths and cases of disability that it causes by 2030. There are four strategic objectives[9]: 1. Empower and Engage Communities: Through education, communication, training and facilitation, give communities the tools and capability to make informed decisions to prevent snakebites and improve the outco­mes of those who are affected. 2. Ensure safe, effective treatment: In line with SDG 3.8 and 3B, ensure that safe, ef­fective, affordable, accessible treatments for snakebite envenoming are available to all the people who need them. 3. Strengthen health systems: Within establi­shed frameworks and in line with SDG 3.8 and 3B–D, build strong national health systems to ensure that the resources, information and health personnel required for the control of snakebite envenoming are available and ac­cessible. 4. Increase partnerships, coordination and resources: Use advocacy, data, collabora­tion and partnerships to build a transforma­tional, multi-stakeholder alliance to find solu­tions and generate public–private investment for sustained success. WHO has already launched its Regional Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming in the South-East Asia 2022-2023; which has been adapted for the region. Pictured below (Figure 2) is are the strategic objectives, target and implementation phases. WHO is already in its “Scale-up Phase”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/d81b4afe-b699-450a-9d7b-743e8d16b503/21.png About Us - WHO & UNDP How SASS aligns with WHO For millions of men, women and children around the world, the risk of snakebite is a daily concern as they go about their everyday activities – walking to school, tending gardens, herding livestock, fetching water or simply going to the toilet – where a misplaced step, a momentary lapse of concentration or being in the wrong place at the wrong time can be fatal [11]. Most victims of snakebite envenoming live in impoverished, vulnerable communities with poor health indicators. Most are inhabitants of rural areas where a bite by a ve­nomous snake can lead to death or to months (or years) of depression, disability and eco­nomic destitution. Without access to effective treatment, many victims lose their livelihoods, savings and property. A debilitating snake­bite may leave an agricultural worker fit only to beg and be supported by his or her family. Their immediate and even extended families may have to share and endure the economic consequences, marginalization and stigmati­zation [12]. Reducing the problem starts with improving community education about the risk and encouraging them to seek health care and ensuring intensified case management for every patient. First aid, effective, affordable treatment provided by well-trained medical staff, and rehabilitation will allow many victims to return more quickly to good health and productive lives [13]. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/0924c736-0947-4056-9400-4370af866083/SASS+Project+Overview+%288%29.png About Us - WHO & UNDP How SASS aligns with UNDP SDGs Sustainable Development Goal 3 "To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages." Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks SDG Target 3.3 | Communicable diseases: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases Indicator: Reported number of people requiring interventions against NTDs People requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) [VI] SASS strives to collect data with its collaborating partners on the number of people that require intervention at all levels of snakebite risk. Gathering data and monitoring key indicators will prove beneficial in improving existing operating responses and improving the management of snakebites. Much like WHO's Snakebite Information and Data Platform, SASS strives to create a comprehensive strategy and resource that will be publically accessible Nationally to reduce the risk of snakebite and improve the best patient outcomes for snakebite management. [VII] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/f977695c-affc-48d2-9f9d-5f46646dea72/23.png About Us - WHO & UNDP References: [i] Wood D, Sartorius B, Hift R. Estimating the Burden of Snakebite on Public Hospitals in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Wilderness Environ Med, 2016; 27: 53-61 [ii] WHO Africa Office. Sambo, LG. Foreword IN: Guidelines for the prevention and clinical management of snakebite in Africa. WHO, 2010, Brazzaville, Congo [iii] 1.Wagener M, Naidoo M, Aldous C. Wound infection secondary to snakebite. S Afr Med J 2017;107(4):315-319. DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2017.v107i4.12084 [iv] 1.Kingdom of eSwatini. National Snakebite Management Guidelines. 2021, eSwatini Antivenom Foundation [v] 1.Specialised snakebite advisory team launched in SA. Medical Academic 2018, https://www.medicalacademic.co.za/wound-care/specialised-snakebite-advisory-team-launched-in-sa/ accessed May 2023 [1] Snakebite envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p3, World Health Organization 2019, ISBN 978-92-4-151564-1 [2] Gutiérrez, J., Calvete, J., Habib, A. et al. Snakebite envenoming. Nat Rev Dis Primers 3, 17063 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrdp.2017.63 [3] Snakebite Envenoming Fact Sheet, WHO, May 17, 2021, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/snakebite-envenoming [4] Regional Action Plan for prevention and control of snakebite envenoming in South-East Asia 2022–2030 published in New Delhi, News Asia, WHO, February 5, 2023, https://www.who.int/news/item/05-02-2023-regional-action-plan-for-prevention-and-control-of-snakebite-envenoming-in-south-east-asia-2022-2030 [5] Snakebite Envenoming Fact Sheet, WHO, May 17, 2021 [6] Snakebite Envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p16, World Health Organization 2019 [7] Minghui R., Malecela M., Cooke E., Abela-Ridder B., WHO’s Snakebite Envenoming Stratergy for Prevention and Control, May 22, 2019, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30225-6 [8] WHO, Snakebite envenoming—a strategy for prevention and control. https://www.who.int/snakebites/resources/who-cds-ntd-nzd-2019.03/en/ [9], [11] Snakebite envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p13, World Health Organization 2019, ISBN 978-92-4-151564-1 [12] Snakebite Envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p11 [10] Snakebite envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p12, World Health Organization 2019, ISBN 978-92-4-151564-1 [13] Addressing antivenoms issues, Activities, WHO, https://www.who.int/activities/addressing-antivenoms-issues [VI] Reported number of people requiring interventions against NTDs, WHO, Global Health Observatory, https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/reported-number-of-people-requiring-interventions-against-ntds [VII] WHO Snakebite Information and Data Platform promotion, https://www.who.int/multi-media/details/who-snakebite-information-and-data-platform-promotion# https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/a12c83a9-1588-4667-8286-510862b3238d/3-undp-sdg-EnglishMedium.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/a281438d-cf43-412d-801c-66adc47f207e/gen17-undp-3-health.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/49f99b62-1fb1-4828-ad9c-4b81ba441581/World-Health-Organization-WHO-Logo.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/7e7adc10-1a71-4d41-a9f8-121e9d595976/880_4404_.tmb-549v.jpg https://www.sassafrica.org/portfolio-3/project-two-whgpe-d36tx monthly 0.5 2024-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/be91985b-c3bb-4ccc-b7df-4f9bd6379e18/SASS+Project+Overview+%284%29.png About Us - Background Background The South African Snakebite initiative was born out of the desire of a group of expert medical professionals to help make safe, effective, and accessible snakebite treatments a reality. The treatment of snakebites is a cycle of complicated failures in developing countries that lead to poor patient outcomes. This has severe socio-economic repercussions for communities in an already compromised environment. Snakebites tend to disproportionately impact the world’s poorest and least empowered people. Incidents also tend to occur in rural and farming communities, where adequate facilities and skills, are usually lacking. SASS by Africure is a non-profit organization, Reg No: 2021/46g13g/08, led by expert medical professionals. We are committed to breaking the inadequacies of the status –quo. This includes a lack of knowledge, difficulty in obtaining relevant information quickly, and the complex process to source anti-venom within rural and public medical facilities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated data on bites and deaths for Africa as a whole reflects over 200 000 bites and more than 30 000 deaths annually [i]. South Africa has over 170 species of snakes, but of these around 20 comprise the “dangerous and deadly” category. Regarding management of snake envenomation, the WHO Africa document is now more than ten years old, covers aspects of management that are not specific to South Africa and mentions treatment options that may no longer be accepted or available [ii]. Furthermore, treatment strategies that apply to snake envenomation from the Americas, Middle East, Asia and Australasia are inappropriate for Africa, due to species and venom-action variance, or the significant antivenom differences. There have been a number of local publications, case reports and retrospective studies over the recent decades, reported between 2005 and 2021, but no consolidated national advisory document since the Shrire publication in 1996, except for a recent book chapter [iii]. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/31905ff6-9630-4d59-accd-5643d172235d/SASS+Project+Overview+%285%29.png About Us - Background To attempt to address this shortfall the South African Snakebite Symposium (SASS) was arranged recently to address these gaps in the management of snake-bite in the local environment. This was held in Nelspruit on 29 and 30 July 2022. The current guideline is derived from recent publications and by an expert consensus. This followed from similar meetings held in Eswatini that resulted in a Swazi National Document for the management of snakebites focused on the local snake species [iv]. The National Snakebite Advisory Group was already in existence to assist in clinical advice, medical support, and optimizing patient management after snakebites [v]. This group is a voluntary team of medical, veterinary, and herpetology experts with an interest in snakebite management of both humans and animals. Their mission is to be available to offer timely support to treating teams, emergency service personnel, and poison centers around South Africa. This group enthusiastically endorsed SASS and also engaged numerous clinical groups and professional societies to support and endorse the recommendations that were agreed upon at SASS as the national consensus document. (see Image A – Supporting Professional Societies and Groups). The South African Snakebite Symposium is the first of its kind in South Africa seeking to empower the medical community (specifically the rural and state sector) to achieve and sustain improved diagnosis, emergency pre-hospital and intra-hospital treatment. The aim is to optimize patient recovery, produce best-in-context protocols and produce relevant educational material. These outcomes are based on leading medical expertise. We have drafted, collaborated and designed, and developed guidelines for standardized South African medical treatment protocols; with the assistance of an expert medical panel. Through the usage of quick-reference emergency flipper-cards and consensus guidelines; improved patient recovery will be achieved, as well as a decrease in mortality rate, saving lives and limbs. The Emergency Response Flipper Cards are effective tools for referencing important treatment guidelines to be taken in an emergency. These resources are created to complement pre and intra hospital emergency response procedures. Our Flipper cards are specifically designed to meet all requirements with regard to syndromic snakebite management. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/1c3188f7-aed1-4be6-b6ef-9fb8ba93db5f/SASS+Project+Overview+%286%29.png About Us - Background Justifications As of 2018, The World Health Organisation has adopted a comprehensive resolution, calling for a response to address the global issue of snakebite envenoming [1]. Snakebite envenoming is listed by the WHO as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD), and is responsible for 2.7milllion cases of snakebites, up to 138,000 deaths a year, [2] and around three times as many amputations and other permanent disabilities resulting from these bites. Most of these occur in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In Africa, there are an estimated 435 000 to 580 000 snakebites annually that need treatment[3]. Like many neglected tropical diseases, most deaths and serious consequences of snakebite are preventable with safe and effective treatment. Yet lack of awareness, inequitable access to appropriate treatments (such as anti-venoms), and socioeconomic challenges mean many rural people continue to suffer disproportionately[4]. Envenoming affects women, children, and men in poor rural communities in low- and middle-income countries. The highest burden occurs in countries where health systems are weakest and medical resources sparse [5]. The economic cost of snakebite envenoming is unmanageable in most countries, as it affects not only the victims but often their entire families, particularly in countries that do not have social security [6]. Thus far, WHO has developed an extensive mandate and strategy to achieve its global action on snakebites. Its goal is to reduce snakebite envenoming by 50% by 2030 [7] . Regional Action Plans for the prevention and control of snakebite envenoming in South East-Asia 2022-2030 was launched in December 2022, and has already passed its Pilot phase. However, the first regional meeting for snake envenoming was held for African states in 2022, [8] which means a long road ahead before actionable results are seen in many parts of Africa, including sub-Saharan Africa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/4457e457-89b9-42ad-9cf4-446e9dc49411/SASS+Project+Overview+%287%29.png About Us - Background References: [i] Wood D, Sartorius B, Hift R. Estimating the Burden of Snakebite on Public Hospitals in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Wilderness Environ Med, 2016; 27: 53-61 [ii] WHO Africa Office. Sambo, LG. Foreword IN: Guidelines for the prevention and clinical management of snakebite in Africa. WHO, 2010, Brazzaville, Congo [iii] 1.Wagener M, Naidoo M, Aldous C. Wound infection secondary to snakebite. S Afr Med J 2017;107(4):315-319. DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2017.v107i4.12084 [iv] 1.Kingdom of eSwatini. National Snakebite Management Guidelines. 2021, eSwatini Antivenom Foundation [v] 1.Specialised snakebite advisory team launched in SA. Medical Academic 2018, https://www.medicalacademic.co.za/wound-care/specialised-snakebite-advisory-team-launched-in-sa/ accessed May 2023 [1] Snakebite envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p3, World Health Organization 2019, ISBN 978-92-4-151564-1 [2] Gutiérrez, J., Calvete, J., Habib, A. et al. Snakebite envenoming. Nat Rev Dis Primers 3, 17063 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrdp.2017.63 [3] Snakebite Envenoming Fact Sheet, WHO, May 17, 2021, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/snakebite-envenoming [4] Regional Action Plan for prevention and control of snakebite envenoming in South-East Asia 2022–2030 published in New Delhi, News Asia, WHO, February 5, 2023, https://www.who.int/news/item/05-02-2023-regional-action-plan-for-prevention-and-control-of-snakebite-envenoming-in-south-east-asia-2022-2030 [5] Snakebite Envenoming Fact Sheet, WHO, May 17, 2021 [6] Snakebite Envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p16, World Health Organization 2019 [7] Minghui R., Malecela M., Cooke E., Abela-Ridder B., WHO’s Snakebite Envenoming Stratergy for Prevention and Control, May 22, 2019, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30225-6 [8] WHO, Snakebite envenoming—a strategy for prevention and control. https://www.who.int/snakebites/resources/who-cds-ntd-nzd-2019.03/en/ [9], [11] Snakebite envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p13, World Health Organization 2019, ISBN 978-92-4-151564-1 [12] Snakebite Envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p11 [10] Snakebite envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control, p12, World Health Organization 2019, ISBN 978-92-4-151564-1 [13] Addressing antivenoms issues, Activities, WHO, https://www.who.int/activities/addressing-antivenoms-issues [VI] Reported number of people requiring interventions against NTDs, WHO, Global Health Observatory, https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/reported-number-of-people-requiring-interventions-against-ntds [VII] WHO Snakebite Information and Data Platform promotion, https://www.who.int/multi-media/details/who-snakebite-information-and-data-platform-promotion# https://www.sassafrica.org/portfolio-3/project-one-h346n-3kj97 monthly 0.5 2024-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/af18afe1-681d-4004-a4e7-08c0eab685be/SASS+Project+Overview.png About Us - Project Overview Who Are We? The South African Snakebite Symposium was held for the first time in 2022. We are recently recognized as a platform where healthcare professionals and medical service providers can gain life-changing knowledge regarding snakebites and envenomation to improve best patient outcomes. One of our foremost major goals is to disseminate correct snakebite management throughout the country. Therefore, seen as one of the benchmark symposiums from which others, locally and internationally can benefit. Our goal is to improve the best patient outcomes for snakebite victims in South Africa. This is achieved by correcting the current harmful first-aid practice, improving emergency transfers, and empowering clinicians. The South African Snakebite Symposium is a valuable evidence-based resource and training platform. Broad of Directors Thea Litschka-Koen - SASS Co-Founder & Director Maqshuda Kajee - SASS Co-Founder & Director Rabia Bhabha - SASS Co-Founder & Director https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/931a00a1-4d57-4102-ac3e-b73ca4f2d8f0/SASS+Project+Overview+%281%29.png About Us - Project Overview Mission, Vision, and Values The South African Snakebite Symposium serves as an evidence-based medical platform that includes concensus guidelines, quick reference emergency flipper cards, presentations, discussions, and interactive skills workshops on effective management of snakebites from a professional panel that has the academic and clinical expertise to assist with the best patient treatment outcomes by saving lives and limbs through education. Our goal is to improve the best patient outcome of snakebite victims in South Africa. This is achieved by correcting the current harmful first-aid practice, improving emergency transfers, and empowering healthcare professionals. The South African Snakebite Symposium is a valuable evidence based resource and training platform. Our objective is to educate and empower healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, emergency medical services (first responders), and traditional healers at their respective facilities about the management of snakebites and other envenomations. We above all value sustainable, evidence-based practices that will empower professionals and communities. We strive for transparency and collaboration. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/e00b060e-e058-4980-99f4-9acd4e8f31ae/SASS+Project+Overview+%282%29.png About Us - Project Overview How it Works The South African Snakebite Symposium is an annual event that is hosted, where healthcare professionals and medical service providers attend CPD-accredited lectures, workshops, and simulations presented by certified professionals on knowledge and best practices regarding snakebites and envenomation. We as SASS strive to assess this health crisis, to adapt policies and regulations, and to develop and implement novel therapies that will make treatment significantly better with the best patient outcomes. Our focus is on medical personnel such as doctors, nurses, EMS, and traditional healers in underserviced and vulnerable communities. Our endeavors will be optimized by seeking to understand the cultural beliefs of the communities in which we will operate. Snakebite envenomation is not only about the numbers. The reality is far more distressing. The individual trauma; devastating physiological effects; social stigmatization; ostracism and socioeconomic implications place an extreme burden on the individual, family, and community. For this to be a success, we need the help and collaboration from organizations to assist with the implementation of the South African Snakebite Symposium to be held South Africa and other African State. It is a two-day event with the option of attending either day or both days. We expect the event to draw approximately 200 attendees a day from all over Southern Africa. This includes a select few from neighboring countries. The SASS will be available as an online event that will afford National and International guests the opportunity to benefit from it. We have created and designed five separate components, namely Flipper cards for Lay People (Layman), Emergency Care Providers, Hospital Care Providers, General Consensus Guidelines, and an adapted Emergency Department Pathway (Figure 1). These resources were endorsed by the Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa (EMSSA), the Trauma Society of South Africa, and supported by the National Snake Advisory Group. (Refer to South African Medical Journal: S Afr Med J 2023;113(5):e1018. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2023.v113i5.1018 and S Afr Med J 2023;113(5):e666. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2023.v113i5.666) We are in the process of sourcing funding in order to translate and print these resources in Zulu, for South Africans on the Eastern Border, and Portuguese and French for the surrounding African Countries. The introduction of active snakebite management simulations at the symposium will also facilitate these processes. Our tools and resources are evidence-based, relevant, easy to use, and freely available for targeted healthcare professionals. We were awarded an impressive total of 20 CPD (Continuous Professional Development) points for the symposium in 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/cb546206-1888-4c71-bc8a-3fdfd18f7641/SASS+Project+Overview+%283%29.png About Us - Project Overview We have created and designed five separate components, namely Flipper cards for Lay People (Layman), Emergency Care Providers, Hospital Care Providers, General Consensus Guidelines, and an adapted Emergency Department Pathway (Figure 1). These resources were endorsed by the Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa (EMSSA), the Trauma Society of South Africa, and supported by the National Snake Advisory Group. (Refer to South African Medical Journal: S Afr Med J 2023;113(5):e1018. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2023.v113i5.1018 and S Afr Med J 2023;113(5):e666. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2023.v113i5.666) We are in the process of sourcing funding in order to translate and print these resources in Zulu, for South Africans on the Eastern Border, and Portuguese and French for the surrounding African Countries. The introduction of active snakebite management simulations at the symposium will also facilitate these processes. Our tools and resources are evidence-based, relevant, easy to use, and freely available for targeted healthcare professionals. We were awarded an impressive total of 20 CPD (Continuous Professional Development) points for the symposium in 2022. https://www.sassafrica.org/portfolio-3/resources monthly 0.5 2024-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/a6b64a6a-8a98-4160-b462-40dd194ec17c/Screenshot+2024-03-11+at+17.06.44.jpg About Us - Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/c2da11d8-6920-441d-9d07-20419c03c80e/Screenshot+2024-03-11+at+17.22.11.png About Us - Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/0812e99f-9ad2-454b-9ef0-ffc68ddfc6ff/Screenshot+2024-03-11+at+17.29.57.png About Us - Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/11648713-1fea-4f47-8ee2-eff50d4f4987/Toxicon.jpg About Us - Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/d106c455-ff2e-47c8-a598-5e70d56e15c6/Toxicon.jpg About Us - Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/2c158585-0342-42e0-b666-1cf516cbaa8d/Screenshot+2024-03-11+at+18.18.47.jpg About Us - Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/f421673a-30ce-41f8-83fb-0afd13fbd261/Screenshot+2024-03-11+at+18.18.47.png About Us - Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640b4648d5fc0210ef2caeed/14a306b8-145d-44cc-a6d4-34e4bf7dc2f5/Screenshot+2024-03-11+at+18.31.55.png About Us - Resources