Rising levels of antimicrobial resistance – or AMR – pose serious dangers to patients, population health, food security, and economic stability worldwide. It is estimated that by 2050, AMR will kill more people than any other disease.
This is the message from leading healthcare professionals, as the world and our country prepares to mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, from 18-24 November.
“Simply put, the over-prescribing or misuse of antibiotics results in bacteria becoming resistant to current therapies, therefore rendering them less effective,” explained Dr Priya Agrawal, Managing Director for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa for global pharmaceutical company, MSD.
AMR is caused by inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines, which leads to microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi developing resistance to these medicines, therefore threatening the livelihood of entire populations. The World Health Organisation and health ministries around the world, including in South Africa, have identified this as a global health threat, culminating in the signing of the Davos Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance in 2016.
“Anti-microbial resistance means we have fewer treatment options in responding to infections when patients are exposed to infectious micro-organisms – even during minor medical procedures, which can lead to life-threatening infections” said Dr Agrawal.
To raise awareness of the threat of AMR as a worldwide danger to public health1, the WHO has declared World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), which takes place in November every year.
Dr Agrawal said that everyone could play a role in the battle against AMR by committing to the responsible use of antimicrobial medicines – which include antibiotics, antivirals and antifungals. In doing so, people become stewards in the preservation of these precious medicines – an effort known as antimicrobial stewardship, or AMS.
Lischen Mashishi, Hospital and Acute Care Director at MSD, said that different groups in society each had a role to play in ensuring effective AMS to help control and prevent the development of drug-resistant super-bugs.
“For healthcare practitioners, it means prescribing and dispensing antimicrobials only when necessary, for the right patient, the right infection and for the right duration,” said Mashishi. “For patients, it means following the advice of their doctors when taking prescribed medicines and not demanding antimicrobials for minor ailments that do not require antimicrobials.
For livestock farmers and the agricultural sector, it means ensuring judicious use of antimicrobials including not adding antibiotics to animal feed. For healthcare practitioners and society at large it means practicing good infection control.
For policymakers, it means ensuring local policies align with One Health Approach as AMR is a multisectoral issue. Policies need to support surveillance and reporting of resistance trends in human health and animal health and ensure access to medicines including novel antimicrobial agents. For all of us, it also means practicing good hand hygiene and using antimicrobials responsibly.”
Dr Agrawal said the pharmaceutical industry also had a role to play in building partnerships for in dealing with anti-microbial resistance. She said MSD supports multiple initiatives locally and globally, joining efforts by medical societies in microbiology, infectious diseases and critical care to fight AMR in South Africa. MSD Global recently committed to invest $100 million over 10 years in the new AMR Action Fund.
“MSD also continues to pursue research and development of new treatment therapies to manage infectious disease as well as preventative medicines in the form of vaccines,” said Dr Agrawal. “COVID-19 has shown how disease can bring the entire planet to a standstill. Antimicrobial resistance poses a similar threat, because pathogens do not require passports to be transmitted from one country to another.”
“The future of antimicrobial medicines is in our hands, we need to handle them with care today – not only for ourselves but also for the future of humanity tomorrow,” said Dr Agrawal. “Lives are at risk, and the time to act is now.” Dr Agrawal’s call to action: “We have to unite to preserve antimicrobials. It’s in our hands”
