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Working together to tackle antimicrobial resistance in Africa

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JOIN THE PUBLIC TWITTER CHAT

Date: 20 November 2019
Time: 19:00 SAST | 20:00 EAT, BST | 13:00 EST
Hashtag: #AfricaWAAW
Moderator: Vanessa Carter
How to participate
Facebook event reminder

Join us for a 60-minute Twitter chat with our panel experts. All stakeholders locally and globally are welcome. The public transcript will be recorded by Symplur.

QUESTIONS
T1: How much progress has Africa made to combat antibiotic resistance?
T2: What gaps do you think there are in Africa’s efforts to combat antibiotic resistance?
T3: Why should individuals care about antibiotic resistance? How does it affect me in my daily life?
T4: What actions can an individual take to help combat antibiotic resistance?
CT: (Closing thoughts): Is there anything you feel is important to add to this conversation?

Start your answers with T1, T2, T3, T4 or CT for transcript purposes.
Answer only after the moderator prompts. Questions will be prompted every 10 minutes, but keep answers coming using the relevant T and number. Both panel experts and public attendees are encouraged to participate.
Use the #AfricaWAAW hashtag in all tweets so you are visible to others in the chat.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) causes an estimated 700,000 deaths globally each year. It could result in over 10 million deaths per year and a loss in output of over US$ 100 trillion by 2050 if the current trend continues. In contrast to some other health issues, AMR is a problem that concerns every country irrespective of its level of income and development, as resistant pathogens do not respect borders. [1] AMR is an umbrella term to describe how different microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites become resistant to various drugs designed to kill or control them. In the case of bacteria, AMR is the associated term because antibiotics were designed to manage bacteria. On the other hand, antivirals were designed to control viruses.

Antimicrobial medicines are the cornerstone of modern-day medicine. Without antimicrobials like antibiotics, even small surgical procedures could become fatal as we could no longer treat bacterial infections. AMR is a threat to global health security, universal healthcare, food security and economic growth in Africa.  AMR is also a threat to the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s principle policy, Agenda 2063 (The Africa We Want), hence the need to tackle it at all levels in the health system.

Research has shown that AMR is a major cause of deaths among individuals infected with HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, cholera, meningitis, gonorrhoea, and dysentery in Africa. Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are also among the most serious AMR public health pandemics. Methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as an example was initially recognized as a problem in healthcare facilities, hence the moniker, healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (HA-MRSA), however new genetically distinct reservoirs of MRSA strains, including community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) and livestock-acquired MRSA (LA-MRSA) have been described. [2] Methicillin is a type of antibiotic class and Staphylococcus is a type of bacteria, MRSA is an antibiotic-resistant bacterial strain that no longer can be controlled by Methicillin. Other common resistant bacteriaL strains include carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) which is the Enterobacteriaceae bacteria found in the gut that has become resistant to the carbapenem class of antibiotics.

Recognizing the threat AMR poses to public health in Africa, in 2017, Africa CDC, in consultation with African Union Member States and partners, began the process of developing a framework to help African countries control the occurrence of AMR in the continent. The Africa CDC Framework for Antimicrobial Resistance Control, 2018–2023 (http://www.africacdc.org/resources/strategic-framework/strategic-framework/africa-cdc-amr-framework-eng/download ) was launched in October 2017 and shared with the Members States.

However, because the framework focused mainly on human health, African Union Member States requested Africa CDC amend it to include plant and animal health and upgrade it to an African Union Framework for Antimicrobial Resistance Control, i.e. a strategic plan for all African Union organs to address AMR in their respective areas, including human and animal health, agriculture, environment, commerce, and sanitation, embracing the One Health approach.

AMR is a multifaceted, complex topic that many have referred to as “The Climate Change of Health”, because of the multiple dynamics that play a role in tackling it. Some of the gaps which exist for AMR in Africa include quality diagnostics; they either do not exist, are inaccessible, or costly. The misuse and overuse of certain antimicrobials like antibiotics, lack of policy and regulation of the illegal sale of antibiotics, and the lack of public awareness about AMR contribute to the evolution of bacterial resistance. Data surveillance to track AMR from a systematic One Health approach is a priority because AMR data in Africa is mostly not available currently and data sharing is a problem.

Funding is central to the implementation of solutions, including stewardship programmes in hospital settings and better infection prevention and control practices, even where poor sanitation services play a role. A multi-stakeholder, multisectoral approach is imperative in addressing these gaps in AMR, with everyone working together harmoniously.

In this Twitter chat during the World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019, we bring together various stakeholders working on AMR issues to focus on closing gaps in Africa. Everyone is welcome to join globally. Our transcript will be recorded using the hashtag #AfricaWAAW on www.symplur.com.

References

1.      O’Neill J: Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations May 2016(http://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/160525_Final%20paper_with%20cover.pdf).

2.      Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): Prevalence and Antimicrobial Sensitivity Pattern among Patients—A Multicenter Study in Asmara, Eritrea February 2019 https://www.hindawi.com/journals/cjidmm/2019/8321834/

Healthcare social media hashtags and global communities related to Antibiotic Resistance:
#AntibioticResistance #AntimicrobialResistance #OneHealth #InfectionControl #WAAW19