Drug resistance on the rise, experts say

May 02, 2018

Dr. Issa Makumbi said drug resistance has become a global crisis.

Inadequate research on drug resistance also Known as Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among humans has been identified as a great danger to survival.

The director of Primary Health Emergency Operations Centre at the Ministry of health, Dr. Issa Makumbi said drug resistance has become a global crisis.

"Our human activities have increased the spread of resistance worldwide yet there is no data on this. We are thirsty for information on how many people are dying, so that we lay strategies," Makumbi said.

Makumbi who was officiating at a student's Public Health challenge at Makerere University said practices such as people leaving with animals have increased chances of pathogens surviving.

He said drug resistance has reduced the ability to effectively control infectious diseases caused by parasites, bacteria's which is negatively impacting on global and national security.

"This is impacting on us negatively in terms of over prescribing and superfluous use of microbial agencies, many people take anti-biotics whenever they feel sick without medical advise," he said.

"Others take tetracycline and when they feel better, they abandon it, which is very dangerous because the medicine volume will not have built enough capacity in the body to kill the causing agents."

The challenge organised by Consortium for Public Health Challenges together with Makerere University Biomedical Laboratory Students Association was aimed at providing a platform to all students to engage in solving public health problems.

Makumbi challenged the lab attendants to play a critical role in AMR saying the lab is the centre of solving  problem.

"If we don't take antimicrobial as directed, we contribute to increase in resistance," he said.

Prof. Clovice Kankya, the dean of department of Biosecurity, Ecosystems and Vet public Health, explained that the issues of AMR are very important nationally, regionally and globally.

"These issues are on rise and it's important that the students relate with the researchers and community to address the measures of prevention and strategies for overall eradication,"he said.

Kankya observed the importance for Makerere University and other research institutions being on the front line to build appropriate measures to make sure that this problem is addressed.

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