Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) likely to claim many lives in future

Thandeka Moyo- Ndlovu, Senior Health Reporter
ANTIMICROBIAL resistance (AMR) could claim the lives of more people in the future compared to known top killer diseases like HIV and cancer, a study has shown.

The condition is a result of abusing antibiotics due to unregulated consumption and not completing the full course when prescribed by the doctors.

Microbes are germs that cause infectious diseases and these include viruses, bacteria and parasites and once an individual develops AMR, they can easily die from common, previously treatable infections because the bacteria that cause them has become resistant to treatment.

The overuse of antibiotics in recent years for trivial infections has seen these drugs becoming less effective against serious infections.

In a study published by the Lancet Journal last week, it was established that more than 1, 2 million people died of AMR in 2019 globally, higher than 863 873 recorded Aids related deaths.

AMR deaths were also higher than the annual 700 660 recorded for breast cancer while malaria also accounted for fewer deaths at 643 381.

“AMR poses a major threat to human health around the world. Previous publications have estimated the effect of AMR on incidence, deaths, hospital length of stay, and health-care costs for specific pathogen-drug combinations in select locations,” read the journal article.

“Our estimates indicate that bacterial AMR is a health problem whose magnitude is at least as large as major diseases such as HIV and malaria, and potentially much larger. Bacterial AMR is a problem in all regions; we estimated that, in 2019, the highest rates of AMR burden were in sub-Saharan Africa,”

Locally there have been calls for Zimbabweans to stop misusing antibiotics and adhere to the full course of treatment when prescribed by the doctor.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care director for curative services Dr Maxwell Hove said doctors also need to prescribe antibiotics with proper medical indication for their use and not give into pressure from the patients. — @thamamoe

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