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By Joyce Mukucha
Countries have been encouraged to continue making significant steps in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to ensure that human, animal and plant antimicrobials are used responsibly and prudently as well as making sure they remain effective.
This was communicated this Tuesday by various speakers during a World Health Organisation (WHO) in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research virtual Global Media Forum in lead up to World Antimicrobial Awareness Week(WAAW) which will be celebrated from 18 to 22 November 2021 under the theme, “Spread awareness, stop resistance.”
Antibiotic resistance refers to the ability of microorganisms to withstand the effects of an antibiotic. Bacteria are said to develop resistance when they are no longer inhibited or killed by a given antibiotic. Inappropriate use of antibiotics favors the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, amplifying the natural ability of bacteria to resist, this is according to WHO.
WHO further explains that antibiotics are vital to treating severe bacterial infections, but bacteria are developing new strategies to counter the effect of antibiotics. Recently the bacteria seem to gain an advantage by becoming increasingly resistant to key antibiotics limiting treatment options for severe infections.
Speaking during the forum, the WHO Director of the Department of Global Coordination and Partnership on AMR who is also the Director of Joint Tripartite (comprising FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), OIE (World Organization for Animal Health), and WHO) Secretariat on AMR that coordinates the joint work of the organisations across the #OneHealth spectrum, Dr. Haileyesus Getahun said serious gaps in stemming bacteria infections that cause illness and drug resistance were still remaining and require urgent action.
He said for more than four decades, some countries particularly European ones have been working on AMR policies in human and animal sectors and over the last decade, progress has been witnessed in as much as taking action to contain this growing threat is concerned though low-income countries still have wide discrepancies.
Dr. Getahun also highlighted that the global Covid-19 pandemic has brought AMR into the spotlight.
“There is need for a comprehensive way in order to keep antibiotics effective, we need to take them only when needed and strictly as directed by the prescriber or healthcare professional. Nations ought to have national regulation of the over-the-counter use of antibiotics. It is critical to ensure that legal frameworks that monitor the quality and good use of drugs,” he said.
He also stressed the need to select the right antibiotic for a given infection when they are needed and the antibiotics that offer the best therapeutic advantage while minimizing the risk of resistance should be privileged.
The head of WHO Antimicrobial Stewardship and Awareness who shared insights all through this session, Dr Thomas Joseph pointed out that diseases were becoming incurable and medicine not working and surgeries failing because of resistance.
“Even common infections are becoming risky and the problem can be primarily in the human behaviour of human beings who are misusing and or overusing antimicrobials. This should be unacceptable. We must ensure that a core message is disseminated out there for the public to know that when we are sick, it is important to take antimicrobials with medical advice and medical supervision,” said Dr. Joseph.
Dr. Elizabeth Tayler, the technical lead for WHO in the Tripartite Joint Secretariat for AMR, supporting the collaboration between FAO, OIE, UNEP and WHO at global, regional, and country levels emphasised that to tackle AMR, there was a need for countries to apply a comprehensive multi-sectoral response as she also reiterated that in low-middle income countries, health systems were less resilient.
“There is need to work together as nations and take action and also support global governance structures, each sector needs to be strong and we want strong sectors to use a one health approach.”
Dr Tayler noted the gaps that are still existing in various countries when it comes to the implementation of AMR regulation policies, multi-sectoral working groups, as well as partnerships. She encouraged countries to have their own multi-sectoral coordination groups to ensure that those precious drugs are being used more effectively.
“Countries that have legislation on antimicrobials having regulations does not always mean they are monitored and or endorsed. There are 125(91,9 percent) countries that reported having regulations on antimicrobials for human use, but only 74 countries reported having monitoring systems for antimicrobials sale and use in human health.
“In animal health, 103 (n-76,9 percent) countries reported having regulations on antimicrobials for animal use however only 74 countries reported having monitoring systems in total antimicrobials use and sale for animal use.”
On multi-sectoral working groups in AMR, she highlighted, 55, 99 percent (76) of countries reported having a functional multi-sectoral working group on AMR.
“Trend analysis shows a 21 percent increase in the past 3 years on the number of countries with the functional multi-sectoral working group. 92, 6 percent (n-126) countries have human health and animal health representatives in the multi-sectoral working group,” she added.
As a way of addressing this, she said WHO and partners were in a process of developing a multi-stakeholder partnership platform that will create a movement for change through engaging multiple sectors and voices.
“The purpose of the partnership platform is aimed at bringing stakeholders across this human, animal, plant, and environment interface together, in order to preserve antimicrobials as life-saving medicines across all sectors,” said Dr. Tayler.
The partnership strategy, she said, will attract 200 members representing different stakeholder voices and a balance across regions.
“It will drive multi-disciplinary actions at global, regional and national levels through action groups working on key issues of multi-sectoral interest and developing action plans.”
The Technical Officer for AMR Awareness and Campaigns in WHO’s AMR Division who coordinates WHO’s involvement in World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, in addition to working on the Division’s broader AMR-related awareness and behaviour change portfolios, Dr Lianne Gonsalves, said there was a need for everyone to become an antimicrobial champion in as much as raising awareness is concerned.
“Everyone across the world in different health sectors can become AMR champions. The goal is to encourage everyone to be a champion. We want to spread awareness and stop resistance, we want to humanise antimicrobials resistance and bring the needed global visibility to this threat,” she said.
Celebrated between 18-24 November each year, the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) aims to increase awareness of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers, farmers, animal health professionals, and policymakers to avoid the further emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections
