FG reaffirms commitment towards regulating antimicrobials use

The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment towards strengthening policies on the regulation of the use of antimicrobial in Nigeria. The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar made this disclosure in a press release made available through the office of  director Information.          

                                                                                   

 Dr. Umar reportedly explained that ‘’ antimicrobial resistance poses great deal of health challenges to humans, animals and the environment, this menace if not checked could wipe out millions of our people, animals and even distort the ecosystem’’ and that the government would curtail the menace and the abuse of the drugs in humans, animals and the environment.

 He further noted that ‘’antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a situation whereby antibiotic (drugs) that were effective in the treatment of disease and infections are no longer effective against the same diseases or infections that they are being treated’’ adding, that the problem had become a global threat “with the propensity to kill more than 10 million people by the year 2050 if unchecked’’.

He identified some of the drivers of antibiotics resistance to include: ‘’misuse of antimicrobial/ antibiotics, use of substandard antibiotics, use of antibiotics as growth promoters/ fishes and plants and lack of adherence to withdrawal periods among other factors’’. 

 He informed the gathering that ‘’member states of the United Nations during the 68th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) were charged to develop the National Action Plans (NAP) for AMR in line with the Global Action Plans for AMR that was developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and endorsed by the world Organisation for Animal health (OIE) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nation (FAO) to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in their respective countries.”

He stressed that it was in the light of the foregoing that the National Action Plan for AMR (NAP) in Nigeria was developed and endorsed by the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment and the AMR secretariat is domiciled at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).   

He urged ‘’relevant stakeholders and the general public to take the fight against AMR as a serious business in their respective domain and not to leave it to the government alone. The primary responsibility of the government is to put in place enforceable policies and regulations on the use of antimicrobial. He further urged the veterinarians and physicians to imbibe responsible and prudent use of antimicrobial’’.

Director Quality Assurances in the Department of Veterinary and Pest Control, Dr. Dooshima Kwange, pointed out some of the roles of the media in fighting antimicrobial resistance to include; creation of awareness and education of the stakeholders, policy makers, livestock and fish farmer’s veterinarian and health workers, pharmaceutical companies, among others.    

The National Antibiotics Awareness and Media Engagement Week were instituted by the Tripartite World Health Organisation (W.H.O), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and it is celebrated annually.