AU intensifies efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance in Africa

Dr Wande Alimi from Africa CDC addresses participants during the AMR week in Zimbabwe. [Courtesy]

Africa bears the highest burden of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics.

AMR is a public health threat causing more deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa than HIV and malaria combined. It is estimated that by 2050 it will have caused over 50 million deaths globally, if not checked as superbugs resistant to all known antibiotics are increasing with few antibiotics in the pipeline to treat extensively-drug resistant bacteria.