Kenya calls for urgent action towards drug resistance

Shubhi Tandon – WNN Breaking

Is antibiotic drug resistance un-avoidable? Illustration of antibiotic resistance machanisms. Image: Chem3513 wiki

NAIROBI, KENYA: On World Health Day, Kenya’s Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation has called for stepped up provisions against drug resistance with infectious disease inside the country. Launched on April 7th, specific efforts by Kenya’s leadership hopes to bring results through a partnership with the United Nations World Health Organization as well as on-the-ground programs to improve health care outcomes inside the country..

Focusing on the pressing health issues in the world on international World Health Day, Kenya’s Health Ministry called for a concerted action on drug resistance worldwide this year; an issue which affects many people inside and outside Kenya.

Presenting a challenge that equally affects health care in all other countries, antimicrobial drugs used to treat disease and infections such as malaria, tuberculosis and respiratory ailments are continuously being misused in Kenya.

While doctors and medical providers in the past have held much of the public blame for problems stemming from drug resistance leading to disease; awareness is growing that points part of the problem to patient home misuse of drug treatments.

Some patients are not following instructions with prescriptions fully; buying their medicines directly over the counter to save the costs of seeing a doctor; self-medicating; sharing drugs with others or not completing their full schedule with drug treatments.

This misuse of effective medicines is causing a spike in health-care costs while also increasing suffering, disability and even proving fatal for the public. Over 35,000 cases of resistance to several current drugs treatments for tuberculosis have been recorded by over 35 countries since 2007.

If this misuse of drugs continues unchecked, there is a risk many infectious diseases such as malaria will become uncontrollable. This will also derail the progress made in Kenya towards achieving goals in public health related to Kenya and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015.

“We call for concerted efforts from all the stakeholders including policy-makers, patients, pharmacists and practitioners to think, act and take responsibility for combating drug resistance,” says Hon. Beth Mugo, Kenya’s Minister for Public Health and Sanitation.

“One in three people in the world is infected with dormant TB germs (i.e. TB bacteria),” says WHO – the World Health Organization.

Although the dormant form of TB infection is large worldwide, 90 percent of all those who do carry the dormant form of the microbacterium never develop the disease. Those who have compromised immune systems from other diseases, low personal hygiene and/or continued exposure in closed environments with poor ventilation with others who have the disease are more likely to become ill from the bacteria.

Risks of TB exposure in the “open air” is relatively low compared to exposure from those who cough without covering up, continues the newest data from the World Health Organization.

To battle tuberculosis and other diseases, Kenya health initiatives are now taking a hands-on approach in understanding the migration and environment that encourages disease to thrive. Medical teams, even in rural areas, are beginning now to understand that drug resistance through mismanagement of patient drug treatment is a real and tangible danger with all disease.

“Urgent and coordinated action is required at all levels to ensure the preservation of these life-saving drugs for future generations. We must consolidate our efforts to combat the real threat of drug resistance and raise the required resources. No action today, no cure tomorrow,” stressed Abdoulie Jack, the World Health Organization Kenya Country Representative.

Another factor that the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an official World Health Day partner, pointed out was the need to highlight the health care needs of migrants and mobile populations throughout Kenya and the larger Africa communities.

“Due to a number of social factors, such as immigration status and language barriers, migrants and mobile populations are more likely to self-medicate which often leads to drug resistance. It is an issue of inequality; such populations are invisible and existing disparities are preventing them from accessing quality health care,” said Ashraf El Nour, regional representative of IOM.

“We must ensure medical services are ‘migrant friendly’ to reduce these disparities and curb drug resistance in Kenya, and indeed, globally,” he went on to say.

Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN), a partner of World Health Day also insisted on a community effort saying that “tackling antimicrobial resistance can only be done if the entire community plays its part. From policy makers and health professionals to the common mwananchi (‘common man’ in Swahili), all of us can take action.”
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Experts estimate that half of Kenyans self-medicate when they become ill. Self-medication involves by-passing a doctor to purchase medicines directly from a pharmacy. The practice is particularly prevalent in low-income areas. Most people determine for themselves what is wrong or are diagnosed by those who sell the drugs. And they are often medically unqualified to do so. Drug resistance, under or overdosing and even death are some of the results.Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi (3:10 mins, April 2010).
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