Stakeholders in the healthcare sector say that continued education, advocacy and collective action will help combat the challenge of Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR).
The stakeholders spoke at a workshop for media practitioners to mark this year’s World AMR Awareness Week, organised by a Media EIS fellow, Mr Paschal Chukwuemeka, with support from the Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria, in Owerri, on Monday.
The year’s theme is, “Educate. Advocate. Act now.”
In a speech, Chukwuemeka said that AMR threatens the very foundation of modern medicine, compromising human ability to treat even the simplest infections.
He decried the negative effects of AMR on food security, economic stability, and the wellbeing of humans, animals, and the environment and called on journalists to amplify the urgency, mobilise public awareness, and inspire policy change through their reportage.
In a keynote address, Ms Rachael Abujah, an AMR Ambassador, described AMR as a “silent yet deadly crisis threatening the health, livelihood, and future of Nigerians”.
Abujah, who spoke virtually, said that according to the World Health Organisation, AMR occurs when microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and fungi evolve to resist the drugs designed to kill them.
“The medicines we rely on to treat infections are losing their effectiveness because, globally, AMR is responsible for 1.27 million deaths annually, with over 4.95 million deaths linked to resistant infections.
“In Nigeria, the burden is alarming, with drug-resistant malaria, tuberculosis, and bacterial infections increasing, often leaving healthcare providers powerless,“ she said.
She, therefore, called on the media to raise awareness, uncover stories, and hold leaders accountable through human-interest stories and data-driven features that expose policy gaps.Also, Dr Ridwan Yahaya, the Antimicrobial Stewardship Manager of the NCDC, urged the media to pursue their advocacy role as part of NCDC’s action plan for AMR.
Yahaya said that with at least 200,000 newborns dying each year from complications of AMR, the media can deploy the youths, policy makers, patients and survivors to accelerate action for the fight against AMR.
Dr Olayinka Umar Farouk, the Deputy Project Director, Risk Communication at Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria, who spoke on effective reporting strategies for AMR awareness and social behavioural change, urged the media to remain agents for change by championing and advocating AMR awareness.
Awards were presented to deserving AMR ambassadors and the workshop’s panelists at the end of the event.
NAN
