“Antimicrobial resistance is not only a global public health concern but also a developmental challenge costing the world $10 trillion dollars, while killing 700,000 people each year and is projected to kill 10 million by 2050 if urgent action is not taken” says Dr. Ibrahim Franklyn Kamara, AMR Operational Research Fellow and member of the WHO IPC Team, at the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week scientific meeting held on 24^th November 2020 in Freetown. 

The scientific meeting which is one of the key events in the commemoration of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, attracted participants from a wide range of scientists – human, animal and plant health scientists – from across UN agencies, Government of Sierra Leone and the donor community, following a One Health approach to addressing the antimicrobial resistance problem the country and the world at large is dealing with.

The meeting was punctuated by several scientific presentations inspired by the theme of this year’s commemoration – Antimicrobials: handle with care.

In her opening statement on behalf of WHO in Sierra Leone, Anna Maruta, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and AMR Team Lead, remarked that emerging issues around AMR are of global interest.

“AMR is cross cutting and has implications on human, animal and plant health as well as for agriculture and the environment” said Anna. She assured the gathering that WHO will continue to support the Government of Sierra Leone to achieve the resolution of the 68^th World Health Assembly in 2015, as well as the political declaration of the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on AMR in 2016” said Anna.

“These resolution and declarations recognize that urgent cross-sectoral rationalization of antimicrobial use, prevention and control of infections in humans, animals, food, agriculture and aquaculture sectors are key to tackling AMR and call for innovative research and development, affordable and accessible antimicrobial medicines, vaccines, improved surveillance and increased governance on antimicrobials” she added.

On behalf of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Dr. Bobo Germain, country lead for Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases stressed more on the implications for humans on the unregulated misuse of antimicrobials on animals that people consume.

“The overuse of antibiotics and fake drugs on animals have huge consequences on human health. That is why FAO as one of the three partners supporting AMR in Sierra Leone will give our support within two specific projects. One of them is the Global Health Security program has started and will put emphasis on the AMR component. The second one will be implemented jointly with WHO through the Fleming Fund to support Sierra Leone to develop the situation analysis of animal health” said Dr. Germain.

A more startling revelation was done by Pharmacist Jennet Buck from the Directorate of Pharmaceutical Services during her presentation: An Assessment of Antimicrobial Prescribing in Hospitals. The presentation revealed among many things that hospitals mostly prescribe antimicrobial medicines for patients no matter the indications presented.

“It is worrying to find out that 40% of antimicrobials prescribed for children were antibiotics. The WHO recommends less than 30% of antibiotics in every prescription, we found that in 8 hospitals 74.0% of prescriptions were antibiotics” said Pharm. Buck.

Most of the presentations highlighted the inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines in the health facilities.  Antimicrobial resistance is a complex problem with many drivers of which inappropriate use is one of them and requires a multifaceted approach.