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A Professor of Bacteriology and Global Health, Eric Sampane-Donkor, has warned that the increasing abuse of antibiotics, especially substandard ones, could become a major driver of antimicrobial resistance which could translate into escalated deaths.
He said the weak healthcare systems in Africa were pushing people to resort to over-the-counter purchase of antibiotics, a situation which was rare in the developed world.
Prof. Sampane-Donkor, who heads the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Ghana Medical School, said antibiotics abuse, together with international travel (by carriers) could lead to the spread of antimicrobial resistance pathogens, a threat to human survival.
Prof. Sampane-Donkor was delivering his inaugural lecture in Accra last Thursday on "Prioritising antimicrobial resistance needs in Ghana: A national choice between life and death," at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS).
As has been the practice of the academy since 1973, all newly elected Fellows have had to deliver inaugural addresses before other fellows and special guests.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers antimicrobial resistance among the top 10 global public health threats in recent times. Currently, antimicrobial resistance causes 700,000 deaths per year and it is estimated that by 2050, if the menace is not addressed properly, it will lead to about 10 million deaths each year and a reduction of between two and three per cent in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with an overall cost of $100 trillion globally.
Prof. Sampane-Donkor, who is also the Director of the West African Research and Capacity Building Programme in Antimicrobial Resistance, said the menace limited the achievement of at least six of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 3 – which is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
"Although a global problem, antimicrobial resistance disproportionately affects low and middle-income countries, especially those in Western Sub-Saharan Africa," he told his audience including those in academia and students.
Prof. Sampane-Donkor said in Ghana, a nationwide surveillance data showed a high prevalence of multi-drug resistance pathogens and the emergence of "superbugs" such as methicillin-resistant among others.
Fortunately, he said in his over one-hour lecture that Ghana had developed a multi-sectoral National Action Plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance using a one health approach.
According to him, prioritising the implementation of the plan was crucial to reducing the mortality associated with the menace in the country.
As part of the solutions, Prof. Sampane-Donkor proffered continuous education and capacity building, as well as investing more in research. He said currently, there were several Doctors of Philosophy (PhD) candidates in his department studying specific pathogens in tackling antimicrobial resistance to provide future guidelines.
