The World Health Organisation (WHO) has pledged to continue to support African countries to reinforce measures for an effective response against antimicrobial resistance.
Development Diaries reports that WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, made this known while announcing that health ministers across the continent have endorsed a regional strategy to ramp up action against antimicrobial resistance.
The resolution, it is understood, was adopted during the 73rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Gaborone, Botswana.
‘The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance requires scaled-up and sustained action by all – from governments to individuals and across all sectors’, Moeti said.
‘The commitment made today comes at a crucial time. WHO will continue supporting countries to reinforce measures for an effective response against antimicrobial resistance’.
According to the health body, the resolution aims to strengthen coordination and governance of action against antimicrobial resistance, improve awareness and understanding, step up surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use, and reinforce applicable national regulations and laws.
Antimicrobial resistance is estimated to have directly contributed to 1.27 million deaths in sub-Saharan Africa in 2019, according to WHO data.
Africa is faced with a high burden of antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat.
WHO statistics reveals that globally, around ten million people – including 4.1 million in Africa – are projected to die of antimicrobial resistance by 2050.
According to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), antimicrobial resistance has already been documented to be a problem for HIV and the pathogens that cause malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, cholera, meningitis, gonorrhea, and dysentery in the region.
Despite the fact that the majority of African nations have national action plans to combat antimicrobial resistance, these plans are rarely carried out.
This is mainly because of a lack of political will, inadequate antimicrobial surveillance, inadequate laboratory capacity, limited ability to ensure optimal antimicrobial use, and inability to raise awareness of the danger that antimicrobial resistance poses.
Also, inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene services as well as ineffective infection prevention and control strategies pose challenges.
The regional strategy aims to achieve a functioning ‘one health approach’ for all countries by 2030, which encompasses human, animal and environmental health, with priority on antimicrobial resistance actions.
Photo source: WHO
