Farming Pressures Fuel Africa’s Drug Resistance Crisis

Farming pressures fuel Africa’s drug resistance crisis

An FAO-trained farmer feeding chicken he keeps at his farm near Gatundu, Kiambu County, Kenya in March 2020. A major barrier to tackling antimicrobial resistance is a lack of integrated surveillance systems, say experts. Copyright: Luis Tato/FAO   In Uganda, an estimated 5,620 deaths were attributable to antimicrobial resistance in 2021, with the greatest number among children aged under five years SPECIAL FEATURE | JOHN MUSENZE – SciDev.Net | I…

The supply chain lens of the burden of antimicrobial resistance in Sub-Saharan Africa

Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health threat, with Sub-Saharan Africa experiencing the highest mortality rates. This study highlights how weak pharmaceutical supply chains in the region significantly worsen AMR by limiting access to quality medicines, encouraging inappropriate antibiotic use, and undermining surveillance. Most countries rely heavily on imported antibiotics, while local production is limited to a few nations. Public s…