Health Minister Elijah Muchima says Zambia is among countries that have had a high resistance to some commonly used antibiotic and other antimicrobials in major hospitals.
Dr. Muchima who revealed this during the high level meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly said Zambia has recorded an 80 percent resistance to some of the commonly used and readily available antibiotics and antimicrobials rendering them ineffective.
He noted that Antimicrobial resistance remains a major global public health threat to both the global food security and attainment of the 2030 sustainable development goals.
Meanwhile, Dr. Muchima told the assembly that in response to the 2015 call to action by the World Health Assembly, Zambia had in 2017, developed and has been implementing a comprehensive 10-year multi-sectoral national action plan for AMR.
He said the country has since upgraded and equipped key laboratories dedicated to tracking AMR, enhanced the skills of the staff, and joined the global AMR surveillance systems (glass) network.
The Health Minister stated that Zambia has continued to make good investment for the manufacturing of medicines, diagnostics, and vaccines locally.
Dr. Muchima however reminded the house that global leaders had committed to act on AMR with a collective effort to address the challenges in health, food security, and development during the 21st September, 2016 meeting that was held at the UN Headquarters.
He further urged member states to renew that commitment by promoting good use of antimicrobial medicines in human health, animal health and agriculture, improve infection prevention and control to avoid hospital-acquired infections and their spread plus enhance the surveillance and monitoring systems on antimicrobial use in humans, animals, and crops including resistance patterns and trends, while fast-tracking investment in research and development of new, effective, and sensitive affordable medicines and diagnostic tests.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when germs defeat the antibiotic or other drugs designed to kill them. AMR can affect people at any stage of life and Infections caused by the resistant germs are difficult and sometimes impossible to treat as they require extended hospital stays, additional follow-up doctor visits and treatments that may be costly and potentially toxic.