Antimicrobial overuse results in resistance

Audrey Galawu

Pan-African Treatment Access Movement (PATAM) Director Tapiwa Kujinga said while antimicrobials are the backbone of modern medicine, their misuse and overuse in humans, animals and plants is driving the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Kujinga said this during the Universal Health Coverage Day celebrations on Monday running under the theme “Build the world we want: A healthy future for all”.

Kujinga said there is need to raise awareness on AMR and how to avoid its development and transmission.

“This is one of the greatest drivers of resistance, some of the unprescribed antibiotics have suboptimal quantities of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, and this leads to the target pathogens surviving the treatment and becoming resistant to the antibiotic.

“Some of these antibiotics are available from vendors at Mupedzanhamo and other informal outlets. These are some of the most dangerous drivers of resistance,” he said.

Anti-Microbial Resistance is one of the leading causes of mortality globally with an estimated 4.95 million deaths in 2019.

Antimicrobial Stewardship and Awareness Unit Head at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Thomas Joseph said the use of over-the counter antibiotics make it difficult or even impossible to treat infections, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

“As the burden of antimicrobial resistance is greatest in low-resource settings, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia, it is not only a global public health problem, but also an issue of health equity and socio-economic development,” Dr Joseph said.