Victims feel bite of antivenin delay

SYDNEY - Snakebite victims have to wait too long for antivenin, according to a new Australian report released on Monday, which said access to the potentially lifesaving treatment has not improved in over 10 years.

The report from the Australian Snakebite Project said that although snakebites are a fairly uncommon occurrence, when a venomous snake does actually attack a human, the treatment does not arrive fast enough.

The toxicologists behind the research looked at data from 2005 to 2015, and found the time from snakebite to first dose of antivenin had barely changed in the 10-year period.