Antimicrobial resistance in the African Region: Issues, challenges and actions proposed

摘要

The use of antimicrobial agents plays a critical role in reducing the morbidity and mortality due to communicable diseases. However, the emergence and spread of resistance to many of these agents are negating their effectiveness. In the African Region the understanding of issues related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and its magnitude are hampered by surveillance of drug resistance being limited to a few countries resulting in incomplete and inadequate data on the true extent of the problem. Despite limited laboratory capacity to monitor AMR, available data suggest that the African Region shares the worldwide trend of increasing drug resistance. This paper aims to highlight the current status and importance of this public health problem in the African Region in order to raise awareness of the need to strengthen AMR surveillance and propose actions for containing the AMR phenomenon.