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Ogun educates farmers, scientists on anti-microbial resistance

By Gbenga Akinfenwa
24 November 2019   |   3:17 am
To ensure measurable containment of the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), there must be improved awareness and understanding of AMR, through effective communication, education and training.

To ensure measurable containment of the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), there must be improved awareness and understanding of AMR, through effective communication, education and training.

The Director, Ogun State Veterinary Services, Dr. Oludotun Sorunke, disclosed this, at the 2019 World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Workshop, held at the Department of Veterinary Services, Ita-Eko, Abeokuta.

Sorunke, who described AMR as the ability of pathogenic microorganisms to resist the effect of anti-microbial agents, when used to treat internal or external infection in animals and humans, due to antimicrobial drug overuse, identified effective sanitation, hygiene and preventive measures and the optimisation of the use of antibiotic in human and animal health, as antidotes to AMR.

He said the ability of bacterial, parasites, viruses, and fungi to survive and spread, despite treatment with specific and combination therapy that are normally used against them, has been considered one of the greatest threats to human health.

Sorunke revealed that the antimicrobial resistance occurs, when bacteria and other microbes adapt and become less susceptible to medical treatment and has become a well-recognised public health threat in the recent years and interventions to reduce its burden have been launched worldwide.

“Like many countries all over the world, Nigeria is no exception to the challenges faced due to AMR. The emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms that have led to increased mortality and economic burden has increased almost exponentially. Thus, the prudent use of antimicrobial drugs cannot be more strongly emphasised than now.

“For the effectiveness of this plan, it requires the key roles of veterinarians to educate and sensitise the public on how antimicrobials affect micro-organisms, and how they can be used responsibly to protect human and animal health,” Sorunke said.

A microbiologist and parasitologist with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Dr. Michael Agbaje, in his lecture, noted that antimicrobial resistance could cause significant loss of life and compromise the healthcare delivery system of humans and animals alike, saying the resistance could result in substantial financial cost for patients and healthcare systems.

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