‘Anti-Biotic Resistance a Health Security Threat’

Anti-Biotic resistance is a health security threat that is likely to erode all the gains Ghana has made in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Ministry of Health (MoH), Mrs Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt has revealed.

According to her, crisis is looming and a time approaches where as a nation we would be unable to treat gonorrhoea, pneumonia and other simple infections.

“We are losing the antibiotic we have and we do not have a lot more in the mill that can cure or treat diseases and we are likely to go back to those ages that anti-biotic was not available,” Mrs Gyansa-Lutterodt lamented.

She made this submission when the MoH took their turn at the Meet the Press Series held in Accra, last Thursday.

This unfortunate situation she says “is as a result of the resistance that is occurring either through the way we have misused the antibiotic or through the change of the bacteria.”

To confront and abate the alarming trend, the MoH has developed an Anti-microbial Resistance AMR policy which is receiving attention from Cabinet.

ARM

World Health Organisation (WHO) says Anti-microbial Resistance occurs when microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change the way the render the medication used to cure the infections they cause ineffective.

The microorganisms are able to withstand the annulling or growth-limiting effect of an anti-biotic that was originally effective for treatment of infections.

ARM may kill, can spread to others and impose huge cost on individuals and the society.

Combating AMR

According to the WHO, health professionals must ensure that they do not prescribe or dispense antibiotics unless it is truly necessary.

Individuals are also advised to stay away from the drugs except when prescribed by a certified health professional.

“If you take an anti-biotic, always complete the full prescription even if you feel better because stopping treatment promotes the growth of drug-resistant bacteria,” a WHO report reads.

On combating AMR, Mrs Gyansa-Lutterodt said, there is the need to keep our laboratory systems secured and ensure that we are linking the evidence of laboratory works to the selection of medication.

Ghana is leading in that font in Africa to fight the threat.

Source: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]