As we mark World AMR Awareness Week 2024, we shine a light on Africa, where antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a leading public health crisis, now claiming more lives annually than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.
According to a recent report from Africa CDC, the continent faces the highest mortality rate from AMR globally, with 27.3 deaths per 100,000 people. This surpasses the combined death toll of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, marking an urgent call for action against this growing crisis.
AMR not only jeopardises the effective treatment of infections but also threatens the progress made in combating other major diseases, as antibiotics lose their efficacy due to misuse and overuse. In response to this escalating crisis, a groundbreaking AMR Surveillance Guidance for the African region was recently introduced (September 2024). Its framework is designed to transform how countries on the continent monitor, analyse, and respond to AMR.
Why AMR matters now more than ever
AMR arises when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites develop resistance to antimicrobial treatments, including antibiotics, making infections harder to treat. This leads to longer illnesses, higher mortality rates, and compromised medical procedures such as surgeries and cancer treatments.
Africa faces unique vulnerabilities due to weak healthcare infrastructure, limited access to effective antimicrobials, and inadequate surveillance systems.
The misuse of antimicrobial drugs in both human health and agriculture worsens the situation, allowing resistant strains to spread rapidly and making routine infections increasingly untreatable.
A collaborative effort to tackle AMR
The new surveillance guidance represents a collaborative effort by Africa CDC, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), ECSA-HC, WAHO, and the Fleming Fund. It’s a landmark document which builds on the findings of the 2022 Mapping Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Partnership (MAAP) study, which highlighted the urgent need for improved AMR surveillance and data quality across the continent.
The guidance aligns with the African Union AMR Landmark Report and takes a One Health approach, integrating human, animal, plant, and environmental health. This comprehensive strategy aims to align African national efforts with regional and global frameworks to combat AMR effectively.
Strengthening AMR surveillance across Africa
The new guidance provides a structured framework for addressing the major challenges of AMR surveillance in Africa — including inadequate laboratory capacity, limited data integration (AMR data is often collected in isolation, with insufficient integration into national health systems), and shortages of trained personnel.
The new guidance highlights several strategic approaches. It recommends establishing National Central Coordinating Units (NCCUs) to oversee surveillance activities and improve data sharing; expanding surveillance networks to encompass a variety of healthcare settings; and investing in comprehensive training programmes for healthcare workers and laboratory technicians.
The adoption of robust data systems that integrate patient demographics, clinical profiles, and laboratory results into centralised national repositories is also advised to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of AMR surveillance.
Collaboration is at the heart of the guidance. It underscores the importance of partnerships with global organisations such as the WHO, FAO, and WOAH, as well as regional networks like AMRSNET. These partnerships are critical for standardising surveillance methods, fostering knowledge exchange, and ensuring the sustainability of AMR monitoring systems.
Putting equity at the centre of action
In the fight against antibiotic resistance, the global network ReAct is working to ensure equitable access to healthcare solutions for everyone, regardless of their location. By prioritising political change and practical solutions, ReAct aims to combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance while addressing the underlying inequities that exacerbate the problem.
ReAct Africa: Watch their film, produced by ITN Business and featured as part of 2024 programme Defending our Health: Unravelling Antimicrobial Resistance.
In Zambia’s Matero community, a densely populated neighbourhood in Lusaka, limited access to clean drinking water, vaccines, and proper sanitation has led to a prevalence of respiratory and diarrhoeal infections. These conditions often result in the misuse of antibiotics, which drives resistance to commonly used treatments, making infections harder to treat. ReAct has partnered with local leaders in Matero to educate the community on infection prevention, promote better hygiene practices, and provide guidance on proper healthcare responses.
Our recent film by highlights this impactful work, sharing the stories of Matero’s residents and the efforts being made to improve health outcomes. By empowering communities with knowledge and resources, ReAct is addressing the root causes of antibiotic resistance, creating pathways for sustainable healthcare solutions in vulnerable regions of the world.
