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Opening of Snake Venom Research Laboratory a historic project - Prof. of Medicine, Oxford University

by Edward Arambewela

The Oxford University anti-venom project in collaboration with the Colombo Medical Faculty launched in 1984 to help Sri Lanka find a more suitable anti-venom to treat snake bite victims was described as a historic project by the Oxford University's Professor of Medicine David Worrell in Colombo on Wednesday.

He was participating at the opening of the Snake Venom Research Laboratory and Herpetarium at the faculty premises.

Prof. Worrell said the occasion was historic one for Sri Lanka and the Oxford University because this was the first time in the history of Oxford that it was participating in such a project to help a Commonwealth country like Sri Lanka which has such close links with the UK.

For Sri Lanka it also is historic because this is the first time the country has been able to get anti-venom developed specific to the country to treat her snake bite victims, save their lives and get them back to society with no side effects caused by the treatment.

He said the venom of the Sri Lanka snakes specially the Rustlewiper was very potent and highly lethal.

The available imported anti-venom made with the venom of snakes not from Sri Lanka was too weak to counter the effects of the victims, unless with high doses exceeding ten vials sometimes. This had serious side effects on the victim in case they survived.

This is why the Sri Lanka Medical Council in 1982 set up an Expert Committee on snake bite chaired by Dr. Dennis J. Aloysius, and Oxford University was asked to help in the committee and the University nominated Prof. Worrell to serve in it.

The project team carried out extensive research on the subject for several years at the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa hospitals and certain studies and experiments were also conducted in the United Kingdom.

Ultimately a specific anti-venom has been now perfected and a research laboratory to extract venom has been set up here.

Prof. Worrell said the Oxford University is very happy that it has been able to help Sri Lanka to tackle a serious problem which had mostly affected the Sri Lankan farming and rural population for so many years.

Prof. Lalitha Mendis, Dean of the Colombo Medical Faculty who was the chief guest at the occasion expressing her gratitude and congratulating the Oxford University team headed by Prof. Worrell and the team from the Colombo Medical Faculty headed by Prof. Risvi Sheriff for successfully completing this research project said the success of this venture gives us hope to take upon more such projects in the future."

She said Sri Lanka would now able to be self-reliant with regard to her anti-venom. It is fortunate that this has come at a time when Indian anti-venom suppliers have informed Sri Lanka of difficulties in meeting our requirements.

She said some of the academics in the faculty who had read Wednesday's Daily News story on the project had asked her about safety precautions in the storage of venom in the faculty premises. She had assured them that the Oxford University had seen to all that and there was nothing to worry.

Prof. Rizvi Sheriff said he felt very pleased for having been able to tackle a problem which had affected our rural population for years with the collaboration of Prof. Worrell and his team from the Oxford University.

He thanked all those who helped in the project and the Dean of the Faculty Prof. Lalitha Mendis and Dr. Kolitha Sellahewa the present Chairman of the SLMA Expert Committee on Snake bite for all the assistance given. 

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