Stakeholders seek best practices to stem spread of antibiotics resistance

To mark the 2018 World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW), St Racheal’s Pharma has called for best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), St. Racheal’s Pharma Akinjide Adeosun, said wrong diagnosis, misapplication of antibiotics by quacks, lack of hygiene, poor sanitation by patients, under dose of antibiotics by patients with correct diagnosis,  counterfeit antibiotics and substandard antibiotics by unscrupulous pharmaceutical manufacturers contribute hugely to this menace.

Adeosun disclosed their plan to conduct Surveillance Of Antibiotic Resistance (SOAR) across they in 2019, which is designed to provide doctors with current antibiotic sensitivity pattern and also guide them towards rational prescription of the drugs and ensure better treatment outcome for patients and peace of mind for doctors and pharmacists.

A Senior Lecturer and Clinical Microbiologist at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Dr. Bamidele Mutiu In his keynote presentation titled ‘Antibiotic Resistance in Nigeria:  A call to action’ expressed concern that some bacteria have become resistant to virtually all available antibiotics over the years. Yet, no new antibiotic has been developed in the last 30 years.

“We are running out of effective antibiotics that we need to fight infections. Different studies have shown different levels of resistance to popular antibiotics. In Lagos, for instance, a study showed that some bacteria such as the  Pseudomonas  aeruginosa  strains have become resistant to all available antibiotics in Nigeria at a very high level ranging from 45percent to 100percent,” he said.

Mutiu said that physicians have to develop some ingenious ways to get their patients, who need such antibiotics, treated, adding that more people, are dying due to antibiotic resistance.