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28/09/22

Superbugs ‘a growing health threat’

A variety of different bacteria - testing for antimicrobial resistance
Resistance to antimicrobials, and especially bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics, is increasing. It is now posing a serious threat to health globally. Copyright: DFID - UK Department for International Development, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat to public health in Sub-Saharan Africa. Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can change their make-up and become resistant to the drugs that are used to treat them, such as antibiotics. One major challenge the continent faces is the lack of data to provide insight into the extent of the problem.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, African Society for Laboratory Medicine virologist Pascale Ondoa explains the implications of drug resistance for Africa’s health systems. And Yewande Alimi from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention tells us why over-reliance on antimicrobial medicines, particularly without a diagnosis, is a key reason for the rise of superbugs.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.