Australia has extended its partnership with Papua New Guinea (PNG) for another three years, delivering snake antivenom doses and healthcare worker training.
This initiative supports the PNG government in developing a sustainable antivenom supply capacity, addressing its limited stocks of snakebite antivenoms and reducing snakebite-related deaths in the country.
The PNG Snakebite Partnership is a collaborative effort between the Australian government, Papua New Guinea’s National Department of Health, Australian company CSL Seqirus, and St. John Ambulance PNG, the project’s newest partner.
CSL Seqirus donates up to 600 antivenom vials annually to PNG, more than triple the PNG National Department of Health acquired yearly before the partnership started.
As part of the agreement, St. John Ambulance is tasked to distribute the antivenoms to more than 65 healthcare clinics in PNG, train healthcare workers in managing snakebite patients, and collect data to boost snakebite care in PNG.
“Timely access to antivenom is critical in responding to snake envenomation,” ANZ Medical Director for Vaccines and Biosecurity at CSL Seqirus Jules Bayliss said.
“We are proud to continue our partnership with the Australian government and improve access to antivenoms in PNG, ensuring doctors and nurses can deliver the best patient care.”
More than 2,000 lives have been saved since the partnership was established in 2018, providing nearly 3,000 antivenom doses for venomous snakes and marine creatures, and training for 1,500 healthcare workers from 70 healthcare facilities in 13 provinces.
“Many Australians know all too well the impact of bites and stings from venomous creatures and this is a significant health challenge for our Pacific neighbours as well,” Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said.
As Pacific neighbours, Australia and PNG share many venomous species. Snakebite accounts for 60 percent of Port Moresby Hospital’s ICU ventilator bed days.
“With one of the highest incidences of snakebite in the world this partnership provides critical support to improving patient outcomes in PNG,” International Development Minister Pat Conroy said.
Indeed, PNG has one of the highest localised snakebite rates worldwide, with mortality rates three times higher than malaria or tuberculosis in some parts of the country.
Before the partnership, over 1,000 snakebite deaths were reported every year, with nearly half of this number involving children.
“Australia is proud to support communities in our region, including through sharing our life-saving medicines, knowledge and experience, allowing them to be treated sooner and closer to home,” Ms. Wong said.
As part of a strategic deal, CSL Seqirus produces and supplies the Australian government with antivenoms, seasonal flu vaccines, pandemic influenza vaccines, and Q fever vaccines.
The snakebite program was initially managed and operated by the Charles Campbell Toxinology Laboratory (CCTL) in Port Moresby, a collaboration between the University of Melbourne and the University of PNG.
The program aims to build local scientific and medical infrastructure and capacity; educate and train future leaders in science, technology and medicine; improve access to safe, affordable and life-saving antivenoms; and remove knowledge gaps of snakebite and its treatment in PNG.
It also aims to translate the University of Melbourne’s School of Biomedical Sciences’ findings into best practice to save lives and ensure program sustainability long into the future.
