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The Snake Bite Program owned by Aishah Pelley who works with consultant Tim Carrol. This new initiative aims to educate and provide public health programs to the local, indigenous and international communities about snake bite awareness, treatment and prevention.

HISTORY OF THE SNAKE BITE PROGRAM

Established in 2022 by Aishah Pelley, The Snake Bite program was created as a business to protect both snakes and people. Aishah had been working with Tim Carroll and her dad Mark Pelley for some time on this project until it was ready to move forward. In October 2022, The Snake Bite Program occupied 2/3 Inglis Street Diamond Creek and has commenced operations.

Aishah's focus is to work cooperatively with the WHO, not for profit businesses, scientists and researchers, as well as private enterprises to achieve three main objectives:

1. To develop affordable snake antivenoms to be made readily available to 3rd world countries to reduce both deaths as well as the impact/injuries of snake bites in areas where there is an identified need.

2. To promote awareness and understanding of snakes leading to a reduction in snake bite incidents

3. Being of indigenous background herself, to promote an understanding of snakes in Australian Aboriginal culture

TROPIC SNAKE BITE EPIDEMIC

Snake bites are considered by the World Health Organisation to be a tropical epidemic. The issue is that most of the disease burden and death from snake bites can be completely prevented. Statistics about snake bites include:

• 5.4 million snake bites occur each year particularly in impoverished nations.
• Up to 2.7 million cases of envenomation occur annually requiring medical treatment.
• Approximately 138,000 deaths occur from snake bites mostly in communities without access to antivenom .
• Three times this number of persons who survive suffer from amputations and other life altering permanent disabilities.
• Most envenomations occur in Africa, Asia and Latin America affecting women, children and farmers in poor rural communities in low or middle income countries.
• The highest burden is found in countries with weak health care systems and sparce medical resources.
• When children are bitten by snakes, without proper treatment, they could be killed or permanently disabled for life.
• More people die from snake bites than war annually.

“The large majority of the victims of snakebite are politically voiceless: subsistence farmers and the rural poor, displaced populations, and children. It is up to the international community to be their voice.”

Kofi Annan Foundation, February 2017

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

The World Health Organization has declared that snake bites are a completely preventable tropical epidemic and a neglected public health issue. In June 2017, the World Health Organization formally listed snake bite envenomation as the “Highest priority neglected tropical disease”.
The WHO since established a “Snakebite Envenoming Working Group” with the goal to develop a roadmap to snake bites. The strategy focuses to reduce morbidity and disabilities caused by snake bites by 50% by 2030 with the key objectives of:
• Empowering and engaging communities.
• Ensuring safe and effective treatments (antivenoms) are available
• Improving health care systems
• Increasing partnerships, coordination and resources.
The WHO aims to work closely with a range of international partners to ensure successful implementation of this road map with large capacity building projects already being launched. There is a particular focus from WHO on community engagement and specific interventions to improve access to WHO recommended antivenoms, improved data collection and national health plans for snake bites. WHO has four strategic objectives between 2019 – 2030 spread over three phases investing a total of $136,760,000US ($210,347,137AUD) into this project.

Our Goals

To develop affordable snake antivenoms to be made readily available to 3rd world countries

To promote awareness and understanding of snakes & rpetiles leading to a reduction in snake bite incidents

Being of indigenous background herself, to promote an understanding of snakes in Australian Aboriginal culture

The Reptile Hub is based at 2/3 Inglis Street in Diamond Creek This is the centre point location for:
• Office base for all activities relating to The Snake Bite Project
• Storage area of venom supplies for commercial sale.
• Information on snake bite and snake safety creation, development and distribution for both local and international markets.
• Public viewing (by appointment) of snake venom extraction in small groups

The Reptile Hub aims to be a well known centre that puts Diamond Creek on international maps for herpetology, public health promotion pertaining to snake bites and both local and global businesses. It will be arguably the most unique shop and the first of its kind in the world.

SNAKE VENOM SALES
The snake venom milking and sales will require the acquisition of venomous snakes and their storage. The process is as follows:
• Venomous snakes stored on site in accordance with WHO guidelines.
• Snakes are milked individually.
• All venom is kept in cold storage until freeze dried.
• Venom is freeze dried and kept in long storage.
• These are sold to relevant manufacturers.
As time progresses and facilities/land acquired, the intention is to create antivenom in accordance with WHO guidelines for export to international markets

SNAKE EDUCATION AND AWARENESS

The Snake Bite Program promotes education and understanding of snakes for every country where snake bites are an epidemic. Our belief is that the greater understanding populations have of the vital role snakes play in both nature and food webs, the following outcomes will occur:

People will be less likely to try to kill snakes.
Reduced interaction with snakes results in less snake bites.
People will develop an appreciation of snakes
People will understand what to do if bitten by a snake.
Snake bite education reduces the risk that individuals will seek traditional remedies and will instead opt for antivenom treatments resulting in a greater chance of survival.

SNAKE SAFETY & TRAINING
The Snake Bite Program is currently working towards creating a registered training organization that focuses specifically on the following registered and recognized courses. These courses are the first of their kind in the world by a recognized training provider:

Snake Safety And Awareness
Snake Bite First Aid Training
Courses on reptile husbandry and keeping,
OHS & Working near snakes
& More.

This can be for councils workers, businesses, mining operations, the general public, government and even individuals to learn about how to be safe and understand snakes. The courses in very small groups can be conducted on site or through hiring larger venues.

EDUCATING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Aishah will be extensively involved with Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander communities to help understand snakes, snake bite treatment and snake safety.
Identifying as indigenous Australian, Aishah will work closely with different indigenous communities, community leaders, government and indigenous focused organizations to promote understanding of snake safety and snake bite treatment in particular.

EDUCATING AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL CHILDREN

Part of this program will include educating non indigenous communities about the history, tradition, customs and beliefs indigenous communities share about snakes and reptiles to help promote understanding and cross cultural awareness. Such education programs will work closely with indigenous leaders and community members as well as schools.