The federal ministry of health, has warned Nigerians against buying antibiotics over the counter, saying it accelerates antimicrobial resistance and leads to avoidable deaths.
The minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at a press briefing to commemorate World Antimicrobial Awareness Week with the theme ‘Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together’.
According to him, the consequences of AMR can affect both human and animal health. He noted that AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity and has prevented the effective treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.
Speaking at the briefing, the Chairman, Nigeria Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination Committee, Dr. Tochi Okwor said buying antibiotics without prescription fuels antimicrobial resistance.
She said, “The dangers of buying antibiotics over the counter are many. You are not sure if the antibiotics you are buying is the right one for what is wrong with you. For you to be sure of the antibiotics to take, your sample has to be taken in the lab and it is in the lab that the organism causing the infection is known.
“How do you know the dose to take? Who monitors the dosage you take? You have to be advised on the dose to take and you have to be monitored by an expert.
“The best way to take antibiotics is to go to the hospital, have a health worker check you and take your sample, have your result come out in a timely manner and use what we call antibiotics formulary, we have guidelines of antibiotics to prescribe according to the specific guidelines.”
She added that the government has developed a national antimicrobial resistance action plan in 2017 to aid the monitoring of the nation’s progress in reducing AMR.
According to her, In Nigeria, seven out of 10 persons in the community access antibiotics outside licensed health facilities or pharmacies while many patients in the hospitals are over-prescribed antibiotics that have a higher risk of bacterial resistance selection, above the 60 per cent target set by WHO.
“In the animal health sector, antimicrobials are available in the open markets without restriction, hence the misuse of these products especially in food-producing animals. Residues of these antimicrobials in eggs, milk, and meat, when consumed by humans can potentially cause cancers, allergies, and mutations,” she added.”
Also soeakong at the briefing, a representative of the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. James Balami said it was estimated that by 2050, 10 million worldwide deaths could result from antibiotic resistance, making it deadlier than cancer.
Balami said, “It is estimated that about 70 per cent of antimicrobial agents sold in the world are used in the animal health sector. In 2020, about 1.8 million tons of active ingredients were imported for use in animals from eight classes of antimicrobials.,”
The event was organised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in collaboration with other MDAs and development partners.