WHO Reports Alarming Antimicrobial Resistance in Africa

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Africa is a growing public health crisis, with a Lancet analysis indicating that western sub-Saharan Africa had the highest death rate from bacterial AMR in 2019, at 27.3 deaths per 100,000 people. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported in 2023 that one in five laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections in its African Region was resistant to antibiotics.

However, this figure does not account for untested infections, revealing a significant visibility gap. In 2023, 48% of countries did not report resistance data to the WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS), and many of those that did lacked reliable data systems.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention noted that one in two hospitalized patients receiving antibiotics is treated with multiple antibiotics, with ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, and ciprofloxacin being commonly prescribed. This situation underscores the urgent need for improved laboratory testing and surveillance systems to address AMR effectively.