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Snake bite: Victims’ survival slimmer as anti-venom prices hits the roof– Expert

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Anti-Snake Venom (ASV)

…..Says local anti-venom production can save over 3,700 peasants annually

Victims of snake bite in Nigeria are faced with very slim chances of survival as the prices of Anti-Snake Venom (ASV) have gone up drastically, (NAN) reports.

A correspondent, who visited some snake bite treatment centres in Plateau, reports that the cost of treatment had risen drastically with many victims struggling to foot hospital bills.

Ifnvestigation revealed that a vial of ASV, which used to cost between N23,000 and N25,000, currently costs more than N45,000, almost double its former price.

Dr Nyam Azi, a medical officer with the JUTH Comprehensive Medical Centre, a specialist snake bite treatment outfit in Langtang, Plateau State, attributed the rise in ASV cost to rising dollar rates.

“It is a hard situation. It is particularly regrettable coming at a time when a high number of cases are being recorded.

“A vial of ASV costs at least N45,000; it used to be around N23,000 to N25,000. The current price is very high considering that it is peasants that are mostly affected.

“There are peak periods for snake bites – the heat season, planting and harvest time. We are entering the peak of harvest season, so the numbers are going up.

“We record about 50 cases per month; sometimes we get 20 cases per week. This month alone, we recorded about 40 and the month is not over yet,” he said.

Azi said that the snake bite victims in his health centre come from Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa States.

He added that the situation was worrisome as patients required four or more doses for standard treatment.

“The standard dose a patient requires is four vials of polyvalent or one vial of monovalent, while some patients require even more,” he said.

Azi regretted the high cost of treatment, adding that some patients had absconded from the hospital after treatment without paying for the drugs.

“Such abscondments lead to huge losses to the hospital,” he said.

He said that death was “almost certain and inevitable without the ASV”, especially since most of the victims were usually bitten by carpet vipers, the most common snakes in central Nigeria.

He disclosed that the ASV produced by ECHITAB remains the only potent vaccine for effective treatment.

The physician urged government to resume subsidising the ASV for victims to ease their sufferings.

“Government used to subsidise the rates of the ASV, but no one does that anymore. They have stopped. I want to urge them to resume the subsidy to reduce the suffering of the peasants in this area.

“Most of the snake bite victims are peasant farmers and children. The cost of treatment is too high and they can barely afford it.

Dr Nandul Durfa, Managing Director of ECHITAP, producers of the ASV potent for the treatment of bites from snakes in Nigeria, told NAN that the cost of the vaccines went up because of the rise in hard currency.

“The vaccine is produced in Liverpool in UK; the rise in the exchange rate of the Naira to the Pound Sterling has pushed up the local cost of the drug.

“The only solution is for Nigeria to begin the production of ASV locally. If we cannot do that, we’ll continue to suffer this persistent rise in the cost of this very crucial drug,” he said.

It would be recalls that the Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, recently said that an average of 20,000 cases of snake bites were recorded in Nigeria every year.

Mamora added that about 2,000 of such victims die from the menace annually, while 1,700 lose their legs or arms to the menace.

The minister, in an address to mark the 2021 International Snakebite Awareness Day, urged stakeholders to put heads together toward tackling the trend.

Snakes bites, especially in the central and southern zones of Plateau and adjoining states such as Benue, Gombe, Nasarawa, have remained a common and worrisome trend over the years.

Various accounts from victims indicate that snakebites inflict a sustained psychological torment with significant level of mortality that result into attendant distortions in family and social structure.

Major effects of the menace include loss of breadwinners, prolonged hospital stay and incidental expenses, amputation, loss of income and productivity, among others. (NAN)

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General News

Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else

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Anglican Church logo

At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.

Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.

Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.

In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.

The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.

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1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.

The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”

Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.

Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.

“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”

The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.

Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.

With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.

 

 

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Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift

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Anglican Church logo

…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.

In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.

The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.

 

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