Africa: Findings in AMR Surveillance Data Across Africa to Shape Health Policy Reform

24 July 2023
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Addis Ababa)
press release

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — 14 new reports published provide a detailed account of drug resistance surveillance capacity across the continent to reduce AMR burden

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) with the support of the UK Aid Fleming Fund, have published 14 new individual African Union (AU) Member States reports providing a detailed study representation of the AMR situation across the continent. The reports were published as part of the Mapping antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU) Partnership (MAAP) consortium's efforts.

The fourteen (14) Member States in the first phase of MAAP at the end of 2022, include Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Containing over 819,500 AMR data records, between 2016 to 2019, from 205 laboratories, the AMR surveillance data analysed for the new reports from each Member State provides a unique source of information to feed into the national AMR action plan, national laboratory strategic plan, and other relevant policies in Africa.

"MAAP has collaborated with African Union Member States and put AMR on the map of Africa for the first time. A critical step to address the threat of AMR on the continent," said Dr Yewande Alimi, Africa CDC AMR Programme Coordinator.

The study's findings from the 14 Member States in the first phase of MAAP indicate that only five (5) out of the 15 antibiotic pathogens combinations prioritized by the WHO (GLASS) are being consistently tested and demonstrate a high rate of AMR.

Researchers also found that most laboratories across Africa are not ready for AMR testing. Just over 1% of the 50,000 medical laboratories forming the tiered laboratory networks of the 14 participating Member States conduct bacteriology testing and even fewer are capable of conducting the scientific process of determining AMR. This underlies the importance of further investment in laboratory capacity, including microbial systems, equipment and training - supported by the Fleming Fund, working with grantees and national partners.

"The lack of bacteriology and AMR testing capacity documented by MAAP has been an eye-opener. The reports published today constitute a unique resource for national, regional and global stakeholders working at reducing the burden of AMR," said Pascale Ondoa, Director of Science and New Initiatives at ASLM.

MAAP also documented an alarming picture of antimicrobial consumption (AMC) with a combined lack of access and erratic use of antimicrobials. Only four (4) drugs comprised more than two-thirds (67%) of all the antibiotics used in the healthcare setting, while reserve-category antibiotics were found in only six of the 14 MAAP Member States. Unregulated antibiotic fixed combinations represented 3.4% of all consumed antibiotics.

AMR stands as one of the leading public health challenges of the 21st century, with Africa having the world's highest mortality rate from AMR infections, resulting in over 27 deaths per 100,000.

Without data information on the rates, drivers, and trends of AMR on both antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial consumption (AMC), health experts are 'flying blind' and cannot develop and deploy policies to limit or curtail AMR. Interventions in Africa mostly remain generic since no baseline information on the magnitude of the problem is available at national or regional levels.

Given the threat of the rise of drug-resistant organisms, AU Heads of State and Government have committed to urgently addressing the threat of AMR across multiple sectors, especially human health, animal health, and agriculture.

The Africa Union Framework for Antimicrobial Resistance Control, 2020-2025 details strategies for Africa CDC to improve data surveillance, delay AMR emergence, limit transmission and mitigate harm from resistant pathogens.

Based on the findings, Africa CDC and ASLM will continue to engage Member States on AMR surveillance and increase the quality and quantity of AMR and AMC data being collected across Africa, along with revised AMR control strategies and research priorities.

Visit the Africa CDC and ASLM websites to access the reports.

Read the original article on Africa CDC.

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