Iran’s Razi Institute Produces Antivenin for Most Venomous Cobra Snake in Iraq
Dr. Falah Mehrabadi, the vice chairman of research and production of biological products department of Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute based in Tehran said that at the request of the Iraqi Ministry of Health to develop a special anti-venom for the poison of the most dangerous species of cobra snakes in Dhi Qar province in that country, the Razi Institute researchers will produce the antivenin.
The Razi Institute official further said that Iraq has long been using anti-venoms made by the Razi Institute, and in recent years, many deals have been carried out between that country and the Razi Institute for the export of therapeutic serums of snakebites and scorpion stings.
He continued that in response to the official request of the Iraqi Ministry of Health for the presence of experts from Razi Institute in the country, experts from the institute went to the deserts of Dhi Qar provincestarted catching different species of unknown poisonous snakes in that region taking venom samples from the snakes.
“According to the reports of the Iraqi Ministry of Health, poisonous snakes in the country used to kill 120 people every year for 12 years, but in the last 15 years, after the selection of the Razi Institute's Kimia Varge Sazan company among several foreign companies as the supplier of anti-venom in Iraq, the death toll in this country has dropped to zero,” he added.
Some species of poisonous snakes are indigenous to Iraq and do not exist in Iran, and the Iraqi Ministry of Health has requested that special antidote for these species to be produced by Razi Institute. Among them, there is a type of cobra named ‘Morgani’ venom sample of which was taken for the first time by the experts of Razi Institute, and after conducting preliminary studies, special antivenin will be made for it as early as next year.
Mehrabadi stated that this dangerous black snake was discovered in the city of Mosul and has a sizeable population in Iraq, adding, “This snake can kill an adult in less than 30 minutes.”
“In the next few months, the Iranian experts at the Razi Institute will develop an antivenin for the Morgani cobra, so that, along with the export of therapeutic serums, the unknown poisonous snakes of this region can also be identified and special antivenin will be made for them,” he concluded.
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