FG Traces 64,000 Deaths to Antimicrobial Resistance

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has attributed more than 64,000 deaths in Nigeria in 2019 to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), a situation where infections become harder to treat as microbes evolve to resist drugs.

Pate said these deaths occurred at a time when only 42.7 per cent of the entire population had access to healthcare.

The minister said this in Abuja at the launch of the ‘National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 2.0’, organised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

The minister disclosed that a situation analysis on AMR found that it was predominant not only among the country’s population but also among animals, crop-sourced food, and the environment.

Pate described antimicrobial resistance as a threat growing at an alarming rate and endangering decades of medical progress.

“AMR threatens the very foundation of modern medicine, rendering routine procedures, surgeries, and treatments less effective, and at times, ineffective,” he said.

According to the minister, by 2050, AMR could cause 10 million deaths annually if actions are not taken.

He said AMR can surpass cancer as a leading cause of mortality globally, if not addressed.

“The economic consequences are equally dire, with projections estimating global losses of over $100 trillion,” the minister said.

AMR occurs when microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve and develop the ability to survive treatments that once killed them or inhibited their growth.

This makes infections harder to treat, leading to prolonged illness, increased medical costs, and a higher risk of death.

According to health officials, AMR is driven by the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial drugs in humans, animals, and agriculture.

In healthcare, inappropriate prescription or incomplete treatment courses can contribute to resistance. In livestock farming, antibiotics are often used not just for treating illness but also to promote growth, which further fuels resistance.

According to this study, microorganisms can spread between humans, animals, and the environment, making AMR a global public health challenge.

To improve the national effort to control the impact of AMR, the ministry launched the AMR NAP 2.0, which is a revision of the national action plan on AMR adopted in 2017.

The minister said: “This revised action plan reflects our resolve to meet these challenges head-on. It is rooted in some strategic objectives that will guide our efforts over the next five years”.

According to the Co-chair of the AMR technical working group, Kabir Junaid, the adoption of the document was crucial as it would direct the country on what it should focus on addressing anti-microbial resistance.

Junaid said the new action plan was rooted in six key strategic objectives, which involve strengthening leadership and surveillance systems, improving public awareness, implementing infection prevention and control programmes, access to quality microbials, and increasing the knowledge capacity of relevant stakeholders.