Life saver? WHO launches snake venom website

GENEVA (AP) - The World Health Organization is launching a new website it hopes will cut the estimated 100,000 deaths from snake bites annually.

The U.N. health agency says the site contains a database of approved antivenoms to treat the 2.5 million people who suffer venomous bites each year.

WHO says antivenoms - antidotes developed from the venom itself - can prevent disability or death but many are inappropriate and have led to a loss of confidence among doctors and patients.

WHO's coordinator for medicine safety, Dr. Lembit Rago, says snake bites are a neglected public health issue in many tropical and subtropical countries.

He told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that most deaths and serious consequences from snake bites are preventable.

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WHO snake bite website: http://bit.ly/afzgEF