By Iyemah David
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has raised alarm over Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), describing it as a pandemic causing more deaths in Africa than HIV, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases combined.
Director-General of the Africa CDC, Dr Jean Kaseya, made the disclosure during a weekly high-level regional news conference on Thursday, emphasising the urgency for coordinated continental action.
“AMR is a pandemic. I repeat, it is a pandemic. Africa is losing more lives to drug-resistant infections than to HIV or TB combined.
“Our goal is to generate political will, ensure accurate data collection, and develop concrete actions to tackle AMR through a One Health approach,” he said.
He revealed that Africa CDC is working closely with Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Mohammed Ali Pate, to convene a high-level meeting in Abuja from May 29 to June 3, bringing together ministers responsible for human health, animal health, and environmental health across Africa.
“The meeting, dubbed the AMR International Meeting, is expected to provide a platform for countries to coordinate strategies, strengthen surveillance systems, and adopt policies addressing the growing threat of drug resistance,” he said.
He noted that many African countries still lacked reliable AMR data, a challenge that hampered response efforts. “From now until this summit, we are working with countries to ensure data accuracy and to drive commitment at the political level,” he said.
In addition, he said that Africa CDC is supporting vaccine development for infectious diseases affecting the continent.
He highlighted ongoing collaboration with Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, on a Lassa fever vaccine currently in advanced clinical trials.
“This vaccine is a true end-to-end African solution, researched and manufactured in Africa, offering hope in disease prevention,” he added.
He expressed gratitude to partners, including the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), for their support in advancing vaccine development initiatives across Africa.
The experts had warned that unchecked AMR could undermine decades of progress in infectious disease control, especially in countries with weak healthcare systems and high prevalence of counterfeit or substandard medicines.
The Abuja meeting aims to foster collaboration, strengthen the One Health approach, and deliver actionable solutions that can be implemented across African nations.
According to reports that Nigeria faces a growing AMR crisis, with resistant infections causing tens of thousands of deaths annually, potentially more than HIV, TB, and malaria combined.
Common resistant bacteria include E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, MRSA, and multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhi.
Key drivers are overuse and misuse of antibiotics, counterfeit medicines, poor infection control, and environmental contamination.
Surveillance is improving through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) AMR National Action Plan and the WHO’s GLASS system but gaps remain.
The experts warned that without urgent action, AMR could become a leading cause of preventable deaths in Nigeria.
