Greater advocacy for stronger regulations on antibiotics use

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green has urged greater advocacy for stronger regulations on antibiotics use in humans and animals, to curb the rise in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illnesses and death.

As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.

In a message read by Chief Veterinary Officer in the Ministry’s Veterinary Services Division, Dr Osbil Watson, during the VSD World Antimicrobial Awareness Week ceremony yesterday at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus in St Andrew, Green said the effects of AMR have widespread impact across the health, economic and productive sectors.

“We need to advocate for prudent use of antibiotics in both human and animal settings. These lifesaving medicines must be only used when necessary and prescribed correctly,” he said.

Green said the consequences of AMR on human health are already becoming evident with an increasing number of common infections, such as Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), tuberculosis and pneumonia becoming harder to treat due to resistance.

He noted that better stewardship of these drugs and robust research into alternative therapies and vaccines are needed.

“Moreover, we need to advocate for increased funding into the development of new antibiotics because, as it stands, the pace at which new antibiotics are being developed is not keeping up with the rise of resistant bacteria,” he said.

Green pointed out that AMR is not only a human health issue, as the veterinary and agricultural sectors are at the heart of this crisis.

The use of antimicrobials in livestock farming, whether to promote growth or prevent disease, contributes to the development of resistant strains of bacteria that can spread to humans.

“When animals treated with antibiotics become infected with resistant bacteria, the consequences on both animal and human health can be severe. Zoonotic diseases, those that can be transferred between animals and humans, become even more dangerous when resistant bacteria are involved,” Green pointed out.

A global action plan to tackle the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines was endorsed at the 68th World Health Assembly in May 2015.

One of the plan’s key objectives is to improve awareness and understanding of AMR through effective communication, education and training.