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Improving communications for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Africa: How should we move forward?

FSN Forum in Africa report of activity No. 16










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    Meeting
    Joint FAO/OIE/WHO Expert Workshop on Non-Human Antimicrobial Usage and Antimicrobial Resistance: Scientific assessment
    Geneva, December 1 – 5, 2003
    2003
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    Antimicrobial agents are essential drugs for human and animal health and welfare. Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health concern that is impacted by both human and non-human antimicrobial usage. Antimicrobial agents are used in food animals, including from aquaculture, companion animals and horticulture to treat or prevent disease. Antimicrobial agents are sometimes used in food animals to promote growth. The types of antimicrobials used are frequently the same as, or closely rela ted to, antimicrobials used in humans.

    The expert workshop concluded that there is clear evidence of adverse human health consequences due to resistant organisms resulting from non-human usage of antimicrobials. These consequences include infections that would not have otherwise occurred, increased frequency of treatment failures (in some cases death) and increased severity of infections, as documented for instance by fluoroquinolone resistant human Salmonella infections. Evidence shows th at the amount and pattern of non-human usage of antimicrobials impact on the occurrence of resistant bacteria in animals and on food commodities and thereby human exposure to these resistant bacteria. The foodborne route is the major transmission pathway for resistant bacteria and resistance genes from food animals to humans, but other routes of transmission exist. There is much less data available on the public health impact of antimicrobial usage in aquaculture, horticulture and companion an imals.

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    Booklet
    Africa Regional Strategy on Antimicrobial Resistance Communications and Advocacy 2022
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    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when germs, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to antimicrobials – antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitic agents – making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. Antimicrobial resistant germs are found in people, animals, food, plants and the environment (in water, soil and air). They can spread from person to person or between people and animals,including from food of animal origin. While AMR occurs naturally over time, usually through genetic changes, the main drivers of AMR include the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in human health and agriculture; lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for both humans and animals; poor infection and disease prevention and control in healthcare facilities and farms; poor access to quality, affordable medicines, vaccines and diagnostics; lack of awareness and knowledge; and weak enforcement of legislation. Minimizing the emergence and spread of AMR requires a coordinated, focused multisectoral and multinational effort. The Africa Regional Strategy on Antimicrobial Resistance Communications and Advocacy was developed to serve as a guide for African countries to improve awareness of AMR and its consequences in Africa, to promote careful use of antimicrobials among key stakeholders, and to support countries to communicate on AMR in a consistent manner.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Antimicrobial resistance monitoring and surveillance guidelines for food-producing animals and their products in Eastern Africa 2024
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    This publication is a building block of the Eastern Africa antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance roadmap that was described in April 2019, by AMR experts from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The roadmap is presented in chapter six of this document. The national AMR experts came together in a regional meeting organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and also attended by other national, regional and international organizations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Kenya, University of Nairobi (UON), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), World Animal Protection (WAP) and African Union-Interagency Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR). The aim of the roadmap is to set out the processes, tools and coordination that technical experts and decision-makers from within national governments in East Africa agreed should be undertaken at regional level to support development and implementation of national AMR surveillance strategies and plans.

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