How Antivenom Is Made During A Global Shortage | Big Business | Business Insider

Venemous snake bites are a hidden health crisis, killing as many as 137,000 each year. High quality antivenoms exist, but they're expensive and hard to make. Producing them requires venom from live snakes, and plasma from horses. Today, there's a global shortage. In Australia, Billy Collett risks his life by milking hundreds of venomous snakes a week. We traveled the globe to learn why snake bites are still a global health emergency, and why antivenom production still requires animals.

0:00 Intro
1:14 How deadly snakes are milked in Australia
6:09 Why horses are needed for antivenom
8:16 How a lab makes over 100,000 antivenom vials
9:21 Why India struggles with snakebite deaths
10:04 Why Sub-Saharan Africa struggles with snakebite deaths
13:37 How scientists are trying to reinvent antivenom

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Why People Risk Their Lives to Milk Deadly Snakes

[agentf]

Let's take a moment to appreciate that there are people like Billy who risk their lives every day so that others may live.

[ricastar]

15$ per vial is insane and the hospital charges thousands

[yemio]

It’s so sad that the people that need it the most often don’t get it because it can take too long to get help. My heart goes out to the mother who lost her little girl.

[mattgaming]

Billy is 100% certified as crazy crazy!!!
But he's a hero still.

[Seraphim]

The fact he can do this in shorts with no real PPE and stay calm is impressive to me.

[svenkund]

Milking a deadly snake and still wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. What a crazy hero.

[JojoBoy-ghgb]

Due to the Brazilian fer de lance viper venom, my blood pressure has finally come in control …my hypertension was killing me …also worsening kidney function . Fer de lance haeomtoxic and neuro toxic venom woks to make its preys blood pressure crash rapidly so it dies quickly, but same compounds are helping patients like me 🙏🏾👌🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾… I thank this beautiful Brazilian snake 🐍 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[mitchell]

In Australia, as long as you aren't walking out into the bush and lifting up logs etc, you're safe. Snakes aren't stalking people as they walk down the street

[kavaskous]

This man's pull-out method is S-tier.

[ManabiLT]

It's cool seeing Billy in this video. He's appeared in some episodes of _Bondi Vet_ (which is available on YouTube) along with Tim Faulkner from the Australian Reptile Park.

[lindaa]

Wow, immense respect for those people milking snakes . There is no amount of money that I would be able to do that for . I feel so blessed to be born in the UK where we don't have this problem . Got me wondering about spider's now and that anti venom 🤔

[elkog]

thank you billy and everybody that does this dangerous work i appreciate you do one love

[kartikeyakaushik]

Extremely appreciative of all the people doing great work across the world.

[unkul_chi]

Central Africa with probably the highest concentration of venomous snakes. It probably just doesn't get spoken about as much as Australia because I've always assumed Australia had more.

[chrisjones]

I bet the Snake thinks " Damn feel for that again "

[jamesmcgrath]

I can't believe that it's the cost of starting a horse farm that results in not enough antivenin in places where venomous snakes are most prevalent.

[bozanimal]

Australians are wired differently.

Bless them.

[timmyjones]

I'm very Proud Of Billy also, he has to be one of the Tip Top Bravest Men On Earth.

[michaelobrien]

Another reason horses and rabbits are used is because they've been in an evolutionary arms race with snakes.

[Engr.Mohsin]

Huge respect for you people. Doing great work.