A snake bites into cellophane covering the top of a shot glass and releases its venom into the glass.
A snakebites into cellophane covering the top of a shot glass and releases its venom into the glass.
  • As many as 137,000 people die from snakebites every year. 
  • Venom from snakes can cause internal bleeding, attack the nervous system, and even stop the heart.
  • Making anti-venom is an expensive multi-step process yielding life-saving but inaccessible cures. 

The World Health Organization reported that between 4.5 and 5.4 million people get bitten by snakes annually. Of those who are bitten, between 1.8 and 2.7 million develop clinical illness, and between 81,000 and 138,000 die from complications from the venom.