…says antimicrobial resistance a silent pandemic growing without adequate response
By Joseph Erunke, ABUJA
The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa says Nigeria still has a significant gap in its health security capabilities.
Adetifa, who admitted that Nigeria has improved from its 39 per cent health security capabilities in terms of world health response and antimicrobial resistance as seen in 2017, to 54 per cent, however, said the achievement was still below the benchmark.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja, at a briefing held to commemorate the 2023 World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, WAAW, the NCDC boss noted that “every gap that we have in our health security capabilities is a gap that is a threat to human lives.”
He said: “It is my utmost pleasure to inform you that at the recently concluded Joint External Evaluation, one of the results or findings was that Nigeria has significantly improved or already achieved 54 per cent compared to the 39 per cent which was the result of the first evaluation of our health security capabilities in 2017.
“While this is a significant gain, having moved from 39 per cent which suggested that we had little or no capacity in many of the technical areas assessed including AMR and the world health response, to 54 per cent, as we know depending on when you went to school, is a C6 for those of us who did WAEC some years back, I don’t know what it is now. But beyond the number, what it suggests if you assume 100 per cent is the perfect score, is that we still have a significant gap in our health security capabilities, including in world health response and antimicrobial resistance.
” And every gap that we have in our health security capabilities is a gap that is a threat to human lives. It means that we have public health threats including antimicrobial resistance which is a silent pandemic growing without an adequate response and threatening human health, animal health and of course, the environment that we share with these creatures.”
Dr Adetifa speaking on the essence of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, regretted that 1.27 million deaths were occurring yearly and directly from antimicrobial resistance. He also said over 99.5 per cent of AMR–related deaths are among children under five.
He said: “Every year, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) directly causes 1.27 million deaths and is associated with an additional 3.7 million deaths. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Nigeria bear the brunt of this burden, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of the direct death toll.
“Sadly, over 99.5 per cent of AMR–related deaths are among children under five.
“Recent studies show that more people die directly from AMR than from HIV/AIDS, malaria, or any one form of cancer other than lung cancer. In Africa, the burden of death attributed to AMR was highest in western Africa, at 27.3 deaths per 100,000 making it a super region for death due to drug-resistant pathogens.
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 15 priority antibiotic-resistant pathogens causing the greatest threat to human and animal health and 4 of them have been detected in Nigeria.
“The impact of AMR on the economy, health systems and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is enormous. Up to US$100 trillion of global gross domesticproduct could be lost due to AMR by 2050, and the LMICs would be most negatively impacted. “
Speaking further, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa said: “Antimicrobial agents are essential for food security and the global consumption ofantimicrobials are projected to rise by 70% by 2030 and will affect sustainable food production systems if nothing is done.
“Since 2017, Nigeria has made strides in its response to AMR. Led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) in collaboration with the tripartite sectors, there is now an AMR surveillance network, antimicrobial stewardship, and awareness programmes across the country creating awareness of AMR among healthcare professionals, farmers, andthe public.
“Fulfilling its commitment as agreed to at the Third Global High-level Ministerial Conferenceon AMR in Muscat, Oman, Nigeria is currently finalising its second National Action Plan forAMR (NAP 2.0) in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders to determine required finances, applicable milestones, and national targets, including the Sustainable Development Goal indicators on AMR in the human health sector, and adopting a One Health approach.”
Speaking also at the event, the World Health Organisation, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said resistance to commonly used antimicrobials, including antibiotics, is a global health challenge that poses grave risks to the public.
Noting that antimicrobial resistance occurs when disease-causing germs stop responding to frequently prescribed antimicrobial medicines, the WHO Regional Director said it “jeopardizes the ability to treat common infections, increases the cost of treatment, and disrupts the progress we have made in combating diseases, posing a grave challenge to our communities, health systems, and economies. “
She explained that “Every year, the international community observes World AMR Awareness Week from 18 to 24 November to raise awareness of the risks posed by the inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines in humans, animals, and crops and encourage their responsible use to reduce the emergence and spread of AMR. “
“This year’s theme, “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together,” calls for urgent multisectoral action in the context of the One Health approach to preserve the efficacy of antimicrobial medicines.
“Antimicrobial-resistant infections caused 1.27 million deaths globally in 2019, more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. Sub-Saharan African countries bear the highest burden of AMR-associated death rates at 99 deaths per 100,000 people.
“We need to take urgent action and address the main causes of AMR, which include misuse and abuse of antimicrobial medicines, lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene; poor infection prevention and control practices; inadequate use of vaccines to decrease infections; inadequate laboratory capacity including equipment and reagents to guide proper treatment; poor waste disposal practices; and the presence of antimicrobials in food-animal production and crop protection as well as the environment and water bodies.,” she further said
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