ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE THE SILENT KILLER IN WEST NILE

By Kaleb Yiiki

Arua

Disposal of Medical agents within the environment has been identified as one of the high risk factors influencing increase in Antimicrobial Resistance(AMR) in Humans.

According to centers for Disease Control(CDC) and prevention, Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is when germs like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat drugs designed to kill them.

Antimicrobial resistance has the potential to affect people at any stage of life as well as the healthcare, veterinary, and agriculture industries.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a public health threat killing over 1.2 million people worldwide and is associated with nearly 5Million deaths.

During a two days Joint Review Mission(JRM) meeting carried out in Arua City in participation of all the District Health Officers, Chief Administrative Officers, District Hospital Administrators, Regional Referral Hospital heads including the District Political Leaders, Odongo Richard a pharmacist at Arua regional Referral Hospital presented a study  report  on the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)  which recommended that in order to avert this tragedy, all Clinicians in both Private and Public Health Centers in West Nile region should observe adherence to the National Prescription directives by Ministry of Health.

Odongo Richard, a pharmacist at ARRH presenting the AMR Report

In the research carried between the Months of November 2022 to April 2023, environmental swap was done at the Health Centre Work stations on the assumption that the Antimicrobial Resistance(AMR)  was due to occupational hazard.

Swap (Method of virus gathering) was carried out from door handles of Clinicians, Health Workers’ Clerk tables, paediatric wards, Labour Suites and from various patient beds from different wards to find out the resident organisms occupying these places and culture sensitivity was done to ascertain the level of resistance of these organisms.

This was to further establish how health workers champion the implementation of preventing infection control. The culture sensitivity results showed that, the organisms collected from the samples belonged to the class of ESCAPE (E-colli,eclipsella, stratfurus etc).

These Organisms further showed resistance to the first line and Second line treatment for antibiotic drugs like ampicillin. The research thus recommended continuous environmental swaps to be carried out in all the health facilities, to continue studying these organism for effective control.

Also, the study recommended more research in antimicrobial studies since the last antibiotics was discovered in 1987 and that, what currently is being done is  just drug design and changing the functional groups and active sights of drugs. “On average, each patient that visits the health centre will atleast have between one or two antibiotics  in their prescription, this means that the clinicians’  adherence to treatment Guidelines is still Questionable.” Odongo warns.    

Edward Kawoya one of the representatives of Health Implementing Partners in West Nile region outlined the common Causes of Antimicrobial Resistance as Rampant under dosing from private clinics, misuse of drugs not in the right indication, questionable quality of medicines in the market. “Some health workers who have not completed training are there running  basic clinics and this is not being monitored,” he revealed.

COVER PHOTO: Participants pose for a group photo during the JRM By Kaleb Yiiki