NAIROBI, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Monday pledged support to enhance prudent use of antimicrobials in Africa's farming systems.
Scott Newman, senior animal health and livestock production officer at FAO Regional Office for Africa said the support aims to help reduce antimicrobial resistance in agricultural systems and the environment.
"The misuse of these drugs, associated with the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant micro-organisms, places everyone at great risk and poses a threat to public health, sustainable food production, and potentially to biodiversity and ecological systems," said Newman.
He said that the sheer magnitude and complexity of the antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial pollution calls for a coordinated and integrated approach to eradicate the challenge.
Newman urged a multi-sectoral approach inclusive of the public and animal health sectors, the agricultural production sectors, environment and ecosystem sectors to contain antimicrobial resistance.
Newman noted that antibiotics in the environment can affect the overall composition and diversity of the microbial community crucial for the performance of important ecological functions such as nutrient cycling, decomposition, and primary productivity in both aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Antibiotics present in the environment at low concentrations can accumulate in human populations through long-term exposure to drinking water, food, or consumer goods with unknown health consequences, according to Newman.
Rudi Eggers, WHO Representative to Kenya, also said on Monday that misuse of antimicrobials endanger health security and the progress towards universal health coverage.
"Antimicrobials threaten to reverse medical advances that had been made in the twentieth century," Eggers said during a meeting on antibiotic awareness in Nairobi.
He said that the menace is already interfering with the ability to treat diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea and cancer.
Eggers said that besides threatening countries' ability to conduct surgeries and to care for premature babies, it is also a silent pandemic leading to the deaths of thousands of people. "People living in developing countries and those in fragile contexts, affected by conflict and violence, are particularly vulnerable," said Eggers.
According to UN data, antimicrobials are to blame for 700,000 deaths worldwide annually, and that it could cause up to 10 million deaths by 2050 if left unchecked.
Newman however said that antimicrobials play a critical role in the treatment of diseases of humans, farm animals (aquatic and terrestrial) and plants. "We are supporting responsible use of antimicrobials because their use is essential to food security, human well-being and to animal welfare," said Newman.
He urged African countries to improve awareness on antimicrobials, develop the capacity for surveillance and monitoring, strengthen governance and promote good practices in food and agricultural systems including the prudent use of antimicrobials.
Due to the dangers posed by antimicrobials, FAO, WHO and the United Nations Environment Program developed a tripartite work plan on antimicrobials targeting 10 countries including Kenya, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Zimbabwe in support of the Global Action Plan on antimicrobials.
