ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE IN AFRICA

Challenges and Opportunities for Mitigation

Understanding Antibiotic Resistance

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines WHO.

As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and death.

AMR is a natural process that happens over time through genetic changes in pathogens. Its emergence and spread is accelerated by human activity, mainly the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials to treat, prevent or control infections in humans, animals and plants.

Global Concern

rise and proliferation of drug-resistant bacteria jeopardises our capacity to treat prevalent illnesses and to conduct life-saving interventions such as cancer treatment, caesarean sections, hip replacements, organ transplants, and several other surgical procedures.

Moreover, drug-resistant infections adversely affect the health of animals and plants, diminish farm productivity, and jeopardise food security.

Regional Concern

In Africa

Most of these fatalities were caused by four specific bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureusaccounted for more than 100,000 deaths each Satoris et al., 2023.

From data of surveillance in Africa (Pfizer-Antimicrobial Testing Leadership and Surveillance).

From data of surveillance in Africa (Pfizer-Antimicrobial Testing Leadership and Surveillance).

Drivers of Antibiotic Resistance?

Anuradha et al., 2024

Inappropriate use of antibiotics Misusing antibiotics for viral infections, skipping prescriptions, or incomplete courses fuels resistance.

Gut Dysbiosis Altered gut microbiota enables the dominance of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

One Health Factors Interactions between humans, animals, and the environment amplify resistance spread.

Climate Change Rising sea levels, flooding, and temperature shifts increase infection burdens and migration.

Human Mobility Population movement accelerates the global spread of resistant pathogens.

Improper Waste Management Landfills and untreated sewage release resistant bacteria into the environment.

Transmission and Spread of AMR Poor control of infections allows resistant pathogens to proliferate.

The origins of WAAW date back to growing international concerns over the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, which have contributed to the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.

The idea for a dedicated awareness week was championed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners as part of a larger global action plan to combat antimicrobial resistance. WAAW was first launched in 2015 following the adoption of the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance by the WHO Member States at the World Health Assembly in May of the same year. The initiative marked a significant milestone in global health, recognizing that coordinated action across countries and sectors was essential to address this pressing challenge.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been acknowledged as one of the top ten public health threats facing humanity.

It is a complex and multidimensional problem, threatening not only human and animal health, but also regional, national, and global security, and the economy. O’Neil’s 2014 report projected that AMR will cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050 and will result in between 2% to 3.5% less in gross domestic product (GDP), if not adequately and urgently addressed.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been acknowledged as one of the top ten public health threats facing humanity [1]. It is a complex and multidimensional problem, threatening not only human and animal health, but also regional, national, and global security, and the economy. O’Neil’s 2014 report projected that AMR will cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050 and will result in between 2% to 3.5% less in gross domestic product (GDP), if not adequately and urgently addressed [2].

The report by the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) project estimated that 4.95 million deaths were associated globally with bacterial resistance in 2019 and, of these, 1.27 million deaths were directly attributable to resistance https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(21)02724-0. The consequences of AMR are more calamitous in low to middle-income countries (LMICs) and their development agenda due to the occurrence of more prevalent infectious diseases.

In response to the threat of AMR in the context of the One Health approach, in 2015 the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed a Global Action Plan (GAP) on AMR that serves as a blueprint for country-specific National Action Plans (NAPs) [4]. One of the objectives highlighted in both the GAP and country NAPs is the need to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance through effective communication, education, and training, the umbrella for the other four strategic objectives [4,5].

In response to the threat of AMR in the context of the One Health approach, in 2015 the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed a Global Action Plan (GAP) on AMR that serves as a blueprint for country-specific National Action Plans (NAPs) [4]. One of the objectives highlighted in both the GAP and country NAPs is the need to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance through effective communication, education, and training, the umbrella for the other four strategic objectives [4,5].

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major problem in the African region in the year 2019.
More than a million fatalities were associated with AMR, with an additional 250,000 being directly caused by it.
Infections of the lungs and chest, the bloodstream, the abdomen, and tuberculosis were the leading causes of death in this group of patients Satoris et al., 2023.

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