WHO highlights critical need for life-saving antivenoms. May 04, 2010.  With snake bites killing at least 100 000 people a year and countries facing a shortage of appropriate antivenoms, access to and information about available antivenoms is increasingly important. The World Health Organization (WHO) is publishing new guidelines for the production, regulation and control of snake antivenoms and a website with details on where the venomous snakes are located, what they look like, which antivenoms are appropriate, and where they can be obtained. "Many countries have no access to the antivenoms they need. Others use antivenoms that have never been tested against their target snake venoms. So often when people get bitten, they can’t get the treatment they need," says Carissa Etienne, WHO Assistant Director-General. "These new tools will help bring this to an end." [ See ] See also: Venomous snakes distribution and species risk categories , WHO Guidelines for the Production, Control and Regulation of Snake Antivenom Immunoglobulins and Snake Antivenom resources page.