“Liberia Against Antimicrobial Resistance, launch National Action Plan”

“The Global Action Plan on AMR (GAPAMR), voted by the World Health Assembly in 2015, recommended establishing national plans of action a difficult undertaking on the African continent, the Ministry of Health through the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) and its partners including the World Health Organization (WHO) have validated the National Action Plan on prevention and containment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Liberia.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when a microorganism (bacteria, virus, fungus or parasite) becomes resistant to an antimicrobial drug against which it was previously sensitive.

This antimicrobial resistance (AMR) concerns a wide range of infectious agents, and many sectors (human and animal health, agro-industry, livestock and the environment. It is a growing threat to public health and no country is spared. It is particularly alarming to note the rapid worldwide spread of multi-resistant bacteria causing common infections that are not sensitive to the usual antibiotic treatments, and that of infections (especially hospital-acquired infections) resistant to last-resort antibiotic treatments. The problem currently arises in terms of sustainable development: it goes far beyond the framework of human health and is of concern to the entire world.

Speaking at the validation workshop of the AMR National Action Plan on Tuesday, June 26 at a local hotel in Paynesville, the One Health National Coordinator, Sonpon Sieh revealed that for the past years, AMR has been a growing threat to effective treatment.“AMR results in reduced efficacy of antibacterial, antiparasitic, antiviral and antifungal drugs, making the treatment of patients difficult, costly or even impossible. The impact is felt particularly by vulnerable patients, as it can result in prolonged illness and increased mortality,” he said.”