The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) has launched this year’s World Antimicrobial Week (WAAW) with a call on the public to refrain from using antibiotics to treat common influenza or coughs.
It cautioned that viruses that caused flu or colds were increasingly becoming resistant against available antibiotics hence it was important that the public purchased them only when prescribed.
“Do not request for antibiotics when you have flu. Most coughs, sore throats or colds are self-limiting and caused by viruses and do not require antibiotics, same way not all feverish conditions are due to malaria.
Test for malaria before taking antimalarials. Do not take antimalarials when you do not test positive for the malaria parasite,” President of the Society, Dr Samuel Kow Donkoh, advised.
On the global theme; “Educate, Advocate, Act Now”, WAAW is commemorated each year to raise awareness on the critical threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which is projected to claim 10 million lives annually by 2050 if urgent actions are not taken to reverse the threat.
AMR occurs when micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve to resist the effects of medicines designed to prevent them from multiplying or killing them.
While rendering treatments ineffective, AMR is leading to prolonged illnesses, increased mortality and rise in cost of healthcare, globally.
According to Dr Donkoh, in Ghana, AMR was a growing concern that threatened to reverse decades of progress in healthcare delivery.
He mentioned contributing factors including misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine, inadequate infection prevention and control measures in healthcare settings and poor sanitation and hygiene, which facilitates the spread of drug-resistant infections.
He said, the PSGH together with all stakeholders in the healthcare delivery chain were fostering a collective commitment to combating AMR spread.
The president of the PSGH implored practitioners to play their gatekeeping role in reducing the threat of AMR in Ghana.
“As pharmacists, we stand at the forefront of healthcare delivery, tasked with safeguarding the efficacy of antimicrobial agents and ensuring their responsible use to protect present and future generations,” he said.
Dr Emmanuella Abassah-Konadu, Pharmacist, AMR Secretariat of the Ministry of Health (MOH), said a study conducted in 2019 revealed that about 6,000 deaths in Ghana annually were attributable to AMR.
She said with an initial AMR policy (2017 – 2021) elapsed, the Ministry was taking steps at revising the document taking into consideration key gaps in a one health approach to dealing with the AMR threat in Ghana.
“Hopefully by next year, we should have a new AMR policy in place and we hope that all stakeholders including the public supports us in this fight”, she said.
Dr Mrs Brenda Yayra Opong, Head, Registration and Licensing of the Pharmacy Council, said all pharmacists and over-the-counter (OTCs) medicine shops in particular were to adhere to operation guidelines, adding that the OTCs risks losing their licenses when the Council during their monitoring realised they had in stock antibiotics.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
