ETHIOPIA – Ethiopia has launched Sector Specific Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance prevention and containment, the first of its kind in the World Health Organization African Region.
The plan was launched during the commemorating of 2022 World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) through a series of events that are aimed at raising the awareness of health professionals and the community in general on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), its hazards, containment and prevention.
Antimicrobial resistance, known more commonly as “drug resistance”, occurs when disease-causing germs become resistant to traditional medication, making infections harder to treat, and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
Lack of effective antimicrobials will also negatively impact treatment of diseases in animals, with potentially dire consequences for food security, and overall economic growth.
Other than misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in human and animal health, other drivers include limited availability and uptake of vaccines; limited diagnostic capacity to support appropriate treatment; lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene; poor infection prevention and control practices; poor disposal practices; and the presence of antimicrobials in the environment and water bodies.
Guided by the Global Action Plan on AMR, and in line with WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work (GPW), WHO in the African Region continues to support regional and national interventions to combat AMR.
In 2019, more than 4.9 million deaths were globally attributed to drug-resistant bacterial infections, with over 1.2 million of them directly related to AMR, which is more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.
Various reports also suggest that the management of COVID-19 patients with antibiotics has fueled the global AMR threat.
“The global and regional burden of AMR is alarming, and sub-Saharan African countries are bearing the heaviest burden of resistant bacterial infections,” WHO Deputy Representative Dr. Nonhlanhla Rose Dlamini said.
With 99 deaths per 100 000 population, Sub-Saharan Africa, as compared to other regions, has the highest AMR associated deaths, which is far exceeding the previous global projections of 700 000 annual deaths from AMR.
“Compounding the challenge is that more than half of all deaths recorded in the WHO African Region are caused by communicable diseases that are managed with antimicrobial medicines,” Dr Dlamini said, adding that AMR puts at risk decades of advances towards the control of diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and sexually-transmitted infections.
She also stressed the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH), vaccines and waste management as an essential component in addressing AMR.
The Government of Ethiopia is working with development partners to implement the third edition of National Antimicrobial Containment and Prevention Strategic Plan: the One Health Approach 2021-2025 in line with global and regional action plans.
“WHO is honored to be part of the process, where Ethiopia is the first country in the WHO African region to launch sector-specific plan on Antimicrobial Resistance Prevention and Control,” Dr. Nonhlanhla Rose Dlamini said.
“Ethiopia has faced its huge share of multifaceted problems that are associated with AMR” Deputy
Expressing the determination of the various ministerial and sector offices working on AMR, the Deputy Director General called upon all national and international partners and stakeholders to enhance their collaboration and coordination in controlling the impacts of AMR in Ethiopia and beyond.
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