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Daniel Mhonda Mutare Correspondent
GOVERNMENT has embarked on a five-year national action plan detailing how the country will contribute to containing and controlling the growing global problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is the ability of a micro-organism (like bacteria, viruses and some parasites) to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) from working against it.

Speaking at a national AMR surveillance strategic plan workshop in Mutare last Wednesday, National Microbiology Reference Laboratory and Antimicrobial Resistance coordinator Dr Sekesai Zinyowera said AMR is a national crisis that requires national collaborated efforts of all the relevant sectors.

“Without any action, it has been declared that antibiotic resistance is predicted to kill four million people a year globally by 2050.

“Hence the need for us to work together to contain and combat the threat to the nation,” she said.
Dr Zinyowera said there were plans to develop a surveillance strategy using the One Health approach on the complex AMR challenge which will continue as a concerted effort by all sectors involved, and provide the necessary platforms for information sharing that will contribute to policy change.

She said they want to have an evidence based medical approach in Zimbabwe to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance determinants in human, animals and environment.

“Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and monitoring of the prevalence and trends in bacterial resistance from food, environment and humans constitutes a critical part of animal health and food safety strategies aimed at limiting the spread of antimicrobial and optimizing the choice antimicrobial agents used in therapy.

“Therefore, surveillance and monitoring of bacteria from product of from products of animal origin intended for human consumption collected at different steps of food chain, including animal feed in accordance with national priorities.

“It is however important to ensure that national antimicrobial resistance programs remain scientifically based,” she said.
In 2015 the WHO declared AMR as a public health emergency, culminating in the development of the global action plan. In September 2017, Zimbabwe launched the national AMR Action Plan.

Monitoring and Evaluation officer in the Minister of Health and Child Care Mr Lloyd Machacha said: “The health problem that the country faced last year were people died from cholera and typhoid was a result of the AMR. Hence we have realised the need to establish a system with action plans to combat the threat facing the nation and the global.”