Dr Yenew Kebede Tebeje, Head of Division for Laboratory Systems at Africa CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) discusses the challenges and solutions to the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across Africa.
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In a conversation with Prof Tim Walsh, Director of Biology at the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research, Dr Kebede identified four priorities for improvement:
- Interventions to slow the spread of AMR: Across Africa, the impact of AMR is greater than that of TB, HIV, and malaria combined. However, Dr Kebede notes that the actions being taken to tackle the issue aren't proportional to the size of the problem. Large-scale antibiotic stewardship interventions, and improvements in diagnostics availability, are needed to tackle over-prescription of antibiotics in communities.
- Limiting transmissions in hospitals: Many hospitals lack effective infection prevention and control guidelines. Where guidelines do exist, there is often not the resources to support them. So, healthcare professionals cannot implement measures to decrease the risk of infection for patients.
- Treatment guidance and medical education: Better education for medical professionals is required to improve their knowledge of AMR and their role in preventing its spread. Where drug-resistant infections do occur, treatment guidance is required to reduce their impact.
- Engagement with the public: Awareness of AMR among the public is generally low, despite the large impact it has on public health. Improving knowledge of AMR will be essential for the success of antibiotic stewardship and infection prevention interventions.
AMR is a global emergency. It is a silent pandemic, a threat for the health security and economic development of Africa. As this is a complex problem, it will require a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary One Health approach. There is no single solution.
Dr Kebede spoke of the priorities for the Africa CDC heading into the UN High-level meeting on AMR in September. He would like to see high-level targets for tackling AMR to be set, similar to those for climate change, with accountability frameworks and appropriate funding commitments for countries where resources are limited, to make progress on those targets.