Declare Emergency on Antimicrobial Resistance, Public Health Experts Tell FG

•Nigeria is 19th highest out of 204 nations with anti-microbial resistance-related mortality

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Healthcare practitioners and infectious disease experts have urged the federal government to consider the scourge of antimicrobial resistance a public health emergency that should be given necessary attention.

The experts said their worry stemmed from the fact that current health statistics placed Nigeria as 19th highest with antimicrobial resistance-related mortality out of 204 countries

Consultant Clinical Microbiologist, Senior Lecturer and Head, Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Dr. Mary Alex-Wele, voiced the concern on Monday in Lagos in a paper she presented at the UK Aid-funded Fleming Fund Country Grant Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Phase 11, Training and Capacity Building for Journalists.

Alex-Wele said AMR was responsible for 263, 400 deaths in Nigeria annually. She said 64,500 of these fatalities were directly caused by resistant infections.

Quoting health statistics, Alex-Wele said, “Globally, 4.95 million deaths are linked to AMR each year, with 1.27 million directly attributed to drug-resistant infections.

“If this trend continues unchecked, we could see up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050.

“In Nigeria, AMR is responsible for 263,400 deaths annually, with 64,500 of these fatalities directly caused by resistant infections.

“Beyond the staggering human toll, AMR is expected to trigger economic losses amounting to $100 trillion globally, with a projected 3.8 percent GDP decline and severe disruptions in livestock production.”

Describing antimicrobial resistance as a global crisis, Alex-Wele emphasised the urgent need for stronger policies, increased research funding, and widespread public awareness campaigns.

She said, “Without immediate and sustained intervention, we are heading toward a post-antibiotic era where common infections become untreatable, reversing decades of medical progress.”

The infectious disease expert highlighted the necessity of a coordinated response, advocating the “One Health” approach, a framework integrating human health, food production, environmental sustainability, and animal health.

Director of the Veterinary Institute, Vom, in Plateau State, Dr. Sati Ngulukun, who spoke on National AMR Landscape – Policies and Surveillance in Nigeria, described AMR as a silent pandemic presently ravaging the world.

Ngulukun said if urgent action was not taken some of the antibiotics or antimicrobial drugs being used to treat diseases will become inactive and lose their efficacy.

While delivering a paper titled – Private Sector Engagement in AMR – Challenges and Opportunities, Director, Laboratory Research at Rotan Medical Diagnostics Limited, Dr. Akujuobi Igwe, said 66.6 per cent of Nigerians had used antibiotics in the last six months

Igwe said there was need to factor in the role private sector facilities will play in efforts to combat AMR, since more than 70 per cent of Nigerians were said to patronise these facilities for their healthcare.

According to him, there is a great disconnect presently between what public health policy implementers are doing and what is going in private hospitals.

The workshop organised by Management Science for Health (MSH) was aimed at creating more awareness among journalists and trying to close existing knowledge gaps in AMR scourge.

Recent health data positions AMR among the leading causes of death in Nigeria, surpassing fatalities from respiratory infections, enteric infections, maternal and neonatal disorders, and neglected tropical diseases.

While diseases like tuberculosis and malaria remain major concerns, AMR’s silent rise has alarmed healthcare professionals.

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs, rendering standard treatments ineffective.

This results in prolonged illnesses, higher healthcare costs, and increased mortality rates.

WHO has repeatedly warned that without urgent intervention, AMR could become the world’s leading cause of death.

The unchecked rise of AMR poses several threats, including increased morbidity and mortality; longer hospital stays and overburdening an already strained healthcare system; costlier treatments and need for more expensive antibiotics and procedures; higher risk of resistant hospital-acquired infections; complications in surgeries and routine medical treatments; and financial losses in agriculture due to drug-resistant livestock.