Nigeria has called for urgent and improved global awareness on Anti-Microbial Resistance.
The country said this should be done by strengthening knowledge through investment in surveillance and time-tested cutting edge research with capacity to expand the horizon of the understanding to permanently deal with the scourge.
In a statement presented by the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari at the High Level Meeting on AMR on September 21 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Nigeria also advocated for increased citizens’ education on rational use of anti-biotics, regulation of sales across counter, border control and administration of severe penalty on those who market or distribute sub-standard, Spurious, Falsely labelled, Falsified, Counterfeit medical products imported into the country.
Adewole noted that basic to Nigeria’s effort at fighting AMR was the establishment of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to support and sustain public health activities.
He said the Agency has begun to lead the development of AMR action plan in Nigeria.
The statement also said that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has been strengthened to regulate, control, monitor and establish institutional measures to ensure quality and safety of antimicrobials and ensure antimicrobials by prescription.
The statement said: “As part of the national efforts to fight AMR, the Agency has developed appropriate guidelines and prescribed minimum good manufacturing practice requirements for the facilities , controls to be used in manufacture, processing, and packaging of products for human and animal consumption.”
Nigeria therefore lent her strong voice to the call for a collective and practical response that will strengthen surveillance, for situation analysis, monitoring trends in AMR and use of Anti-Microbials through quality laborites and well organized national network.
The World Health Organisation said of AMR: “Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change in ways that render the medications used to cure the infections they cause ineffective.
“When the microorganisms become resistant to most antimicrobials they are often referred to as ‘superbugs’.
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