Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) welcomes the release of the long-anticipated World Health Organization (WHO) strategy on the prevention and control of snakebite envenoming, with the ambitious targets to cut in half the number of snakebite deaths and cases of disability by 2030. Governments and funding organisations must step up now and respond to snakebite with the urgency and attention this neglected public health crisis demands.
"We are cautiously optimistic that the WHO's snakebite strategy could be a turning point in tackling this disease, and governments, donors and other stakeholders must not squander this opportunity, but instead provide concrete political and financial support to ensure its success," said Julien Potet, Policy Advisor on Neglected Tropical Diseases for MSF's Access Campaign. "It is time for everyone to harness this momentum and stop unnecessary deaths and disabilities from snakebites once and for all."
...