Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or antibiotic resistance refers to the ability of germs (bacteria, parasites, fungi, viruses) to survive drugs designed to eliminate them. It results from inappropri-ate or excessive use of antimicrobial drugs, poor hygiene and lack of infection prevention measures. Antimicrobial resistance has led to the emergence of so-called ‘superbugs’, which present a challenge to health professionals, veterinarians and other animal health care provid-ers due to a reduction in effective therapeutic options for preventing, controlling and treating infectious diseases.
AMR has both economic and health consequences. When antimicrobials lose their effectiveness, diseases last longer and require more expensive care, including prolonged hospitalization and expensive second-line drugs. This results in lost productivity for farmers and livestock breeders, as well as an increased financial burden for families and the healthcare system. In animal health, ineffective veterinary treatment results in higher mortality and morbidity rates on farms and lower productivity. The use of antibiotics as growth promoters encourages the emergence of re-sistant bacteria that can contaminate the food chain and infect humans.
Described as a ‘silent pandemic’, antibiotic resistance is considered by the World Health Organ-isation (WHO) to be one of the ten greatest threats to public health worldwide. The World Organ-isation for Animal Health (WOAH/OIE) calls it one of the greatest health challenges of our time, becoming a major cause of death.
Over the last five years in Europe, infections with enterobacteria resistant to the latest genera-tions of antimicrobials have increased by 57%, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In Côte d’Ivoire, the overall rate of resistance to antibiotics has risen from about 9% in 2002 to 46% in 2018, demonstrating a meteoric rise. Common pathogenic bac-teria such as staphylococcus aureus are among the most affected. In Dakar, Senegal, studies conducted in 2020 revealed that strains of Escherichia coli were resistant to more than ten anti-biotics.
In line with efforts being made worldwide, discussions at the sixth meeting of the RVC laid the foundations for the need to take stock of this fight, which needs to be stepped up in the countries of West Africa and the Sahel. With the facilitation of the ECOWAS Regional Animal Health Centre (RAHC), the chief veterinary services, the presidents of the veterinary orders of Member States and resource persons from regional and international institutions such as UEMOA, ECOWAS and WOAH/OIE, shared experiences that could support concerted regional action.
The discussions highlighted the existence, in most countries, of legislation and regulations gov-erning the veterinary profession and the production, marketing, import, distribution and use of veterinary medicines. However, insufficient attention is paid to the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, each country has a strategy for combating AMR, with various levels of im-plementation.
This observation led participants to agree on the urgent need for both a national and a regional response. The response particularly involves (i) reinforcing advocacy with political authorities to take affirmative actions in favour of the fight against AMR (advocacy briefing note), (ii) reinforc-ing awareness-raising among all stakeholders to take decisive action (communication plan), (iii) developing and implementing a regional strategic plan to combat AMR (situational analysis), (iv) building the capacity of veterinary services and laboratories to prevent, control and monitor AMR (training, veterinary network, equipment, research, etc.) and (v) seeking and mobilizing the necessary financial resources.
As the fight against antimicrobial resistance is a collaborative approach based on the integrated principle of ‘One Health’, all stakeholders (Member States, ECOWAS and partner institutions) shall play their roles to effectively address antimicrobial resistance in the region. Vaccines that prevent bacterial or viral infections leading to secondary bacterial infections should become an increasingly important part of a multi-dimensional approach to reducing the use of antibiotics, while protecting animal health and welfare.
Source : ARAA, April, 2025
