Current state of Antimicrobial Resistance in Kenya to be unveiled

A three-day interactive forum to launch the current state of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) kicks off this morning at Aga Khan University.

The event which brings together regional, international medical experts and professionals will provide multidisciplinary interventions for lab technicians, pharmacists, doctors, nurses and community pharmacists to curb the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in Kenya.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top global public health and development threats with the World Health Organisation estimating that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.

In Kenya, research published in The Lancet Global noted that there were 8,500 deaths attributable to AMR and 37,300 deaths associated with AMR, a bigger cause of death than HIV/Aids and malaria in 2019.

EXPLAINER: WHAT IS AMR

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.

Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics – are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.