Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance in Africa

Date: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Time: 14:30 – 16:00
Location: Niger/Enugu

Session Overview:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of a wide range of infections caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, including those causing outbreaks. AMR poses a threat to global health, results in adverse health outcomes and economic loss due to longer duration of illnesses, additional tests and the need for more expensive drugs. AMR is a complex problem, driven by many interconnected factors such as the capacity of health systems to adequately identify the etiology of infection, conduct disease surveillance and take appropriate public health action; the regulation and monitoring of antimicrobial usage in human and animal health and in the environment; and the availability of new drugs active to control antimicrobial resistant pathogens.

Combatting AMR requires coordinated action, innovation and investment across all government sectors and society. Recently, the need to develop, implement and monitor national policies and strategies for the control of AMR has been highlighted in African countries. Governments are encouraged to align their strategies with the requirements of the WHO AMR global action plans, while a coordinated effort for AMR surveillance across the continent is being spearheaded by Africa CDC and other global partners.

Laboratory systems and networks are key to the control of AMR, as they support the reliable detection of pathogens, the identification of resistance mutation, and the monitoring of treatment efficacy. Laboratories also play a central role in disease surveillance and the generation of accurate data on AMR prevalence, distribution and trends over time.

This symposium seeks to:

  1. Highlight the current knowledge gaps in AMR across the African continent,
  2. Discuss some of the successes and challenges to AMR control policy and plan implementation,
  3. Highlight the ongoing global strategy supporting coordinated, evidence based intervention to address AMR at national and regional level, and
  4. Provide an update on the diagnostic and M&E tools required to advance AMR control and prevention.
  • The Distribution of AMR Prevalence in Africa: an Overview and Root Cause Analysis of Knowledge Gaps
    • Collins Jaguga, ReACT Kenya, Kenya
  • The Situation of AMR and AMU in Egypt
    • Saly Wagdy, Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt
  • Tackling AMR in Africa: the Fleming Fund’s Strategy for AMR Capacity Building
    • Linda Oskam, DATOS, Netherlands
  • Advancing AMR Diagnostic, Surveillance and Control: What Tools Do We Need?
    • Amanda MacDonald, American Society for Microbiology, United States
  • Co-Conveners:
    • Frank Konings
      • Public Health Laboratories Unit, WHO/EMRO, Egypt
    • Pascale Ondoa
      • Director of Science and New Initiatives, African Society for Laboratory Medicine, Netherlands
    •  Speakers
      • Collins Jaguga
        • ReACT Kenya, Kenya
      • Saly Wagdy
        • Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt
      • Linda Oskam
        • DATOS, Netherlands
      • Amanda MacDonald
        • American Society for Microbiology, United States