The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has unveiled a strategy to help address wrong use of antibiotics by people. Speaking at the presentation of the campaign initiative known as ‘Antibiotic Guardian’, the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said that the organisation hoped to use it to raise awareness across Nigeria on the dangers of antibiotics abuse. “We hope that this increases people’s knowledge on the dangers of AMR and the role they have to play,” he said. Ihekweazu said NCDC team led by Dr. Joshua Obasanya had carried out an AMR Situation Analysis and developed an AMR National Action Plan in 2017. According to Ihekweazu, NCDC had identified 11 human health laboratories and seven animal laboratories across the country testing for AMR also developed frameworks to strengthen AMR surveillance in Nigeria. He said: “NCDC has supported these laboratories with diagnostic supplies needed to enable us understand the true burden of AMR in Nigeria. I am very proud that Nigeria now contributes annual reports to the Global AMR Surveillance System (GLASS).”
He said that the aim of launching the Antibiotics pledge is to raise awareness on the right use of the drug amongst Nigerians.
