THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has revealed that four of the 15 priority antibiotic-resistant pathogens causing the greatest threat to human and animal health are in Nigeria.
The Centre also said that over 99.5 per cent of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) related deaths globally are among children under five years.
The director-general of NCDC, Ifedayo Adetifa, a doctor, said these in a statement on Monday, November 20, as part of the organisation’s activities to commemorate the 2023 World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), themed ‘Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together.’
According to the World Health Organisation, the World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and understanding of AMR and promote best practices among One Health stakeholders to reduce the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections and is celebrated from 18-24 November every year.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites cease to react to antimicrobial agents. Due to this drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial treatments lose their effectiveness, making infections challenging or impossible to treat. This heightens the danger of disease transmission, severe illness, and fatality.
The NCDC boss noted that AMR directly causes 1.27 million deaths and is associated with an additional 3.7 million deaths annually, adding that low-and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, bear the brunt of this burden, accounting for over 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,” he added.
Adetifa warned that the impact of AMR on the economy, health systems and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was enormous, as up to US$100 trillion of global gross domestic product could be lost due to AMR by 2050, and the LMICs would be most negatively impacted.
He emphasized the importance of antimicrobial agents for food security. Global antimicrobial consumption is projected to surge by 70 per cent by 2030, potentially impacting sustainable food production systems unless action is taken.
“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, and the public.
“Fulfilling its commitment as agreed to at the Third Global High-level Ministerial Conference on AMR in Muscat, Oman, Nigeria is currently finalising its second National Action Plan for AMR (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,” Adetifa added.
He further stressed that Nigeria AMR was rated as having an average score of 2.4 points out of 5, indicating that more action is required to combat this challenge during this year’s joint external evaluation of international health regulation core capacities.
Adetifa called on all sectors to join forces and encourage the prudent use of antimicrobials and preventive measures against AMR.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M