Who hasn’t been prescribed antibiotics by a doctor – for a chest infection or a sore throat? It’s terrifying to think that these infections can become life-threatening if the antibiotic drugs needed to treat them stop working.
This is known as antimicrobial resistance. It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines. Infections become harder to treat, increasing the risk of diseases spreading, severe illness, and even death.
Antibiotics were first used just over 100 years ago. Since then, they have changed medicine and given people a chance to live much longer. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) says antimicrobial resistance threatens to undo this medical progress. Infections that are treatable today could become much harder to treat and potentially deadly. It could be like going back to the time before we had antibiotics.
Drug-resistant infections are already estimated to cause 700,000 deaths each year and this could rise to 10 million in 2050 if there are no decisive efforts to contain them. Antimicrobial resistance leads to more deaths and illnesses in Africa than in any other region.
The Conversation Africa has published several articles about this health threat.
Flies in hospices carry dangerous bacteria
In one article, researchers described collecting flies at three hospices in South African cities. Using new DNA sequencing methods, they found some of the flies carried microbes that are resistant to antibiotics, posing an additional health risk to the vulnerable patients at these facilities.
Newborn babies with antibiotic resistance
Scientists at the Oxford INEOS Institute for Antimicrobial Research found newborn babies in three Nigerian hospitals had antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their bodies. The bacteria were resistant to an antibiotic called colistin, but neither the babies nor their mothers had been treated with this drug. Colistin is one of the last remaining antibiotics that is still effective in killing bacteria and fighting infections such as pneumonia.
They think mothers may have picked up colistin-resistant bacteria from the environment. It’s potentially a very dangerous development for all newborn babies and their mothers.
Antimicrobials for chickens
Also in Nigeria, researchers found that antimicrobial use and hygiene practices were poor among chicken vendors in markets. Vendors gave antimicrobials to both sick and healthy chickens, without veterinarian prescriptions. Vendors also treated chickens with drugs intended for humans. These practices may make antibiotics less effective for treating bacterial infections in humans.
Clues in wastewater
Wastewater is usually seen as something undesirable that just needs to be flushed away. But it can be a valuable resource too. Studying wastewater can provide early warnings about potential disease outbreaks, especially those involving resistant microorganisms. Researchers reviewed studies of wastewater surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa and found that most countries in the region lacked the necessary skills for this research.
Wise use of antibiotics
Africa bears the brunt of the antimicrobial resistance epidemic, which thrives on inequality and poverty, overcrowded medical wards, inappropriate use of antibiotics, and limited access to the right medicines.
With weak regulation, over-the-counter prescription of antibiotics is highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. In Eritrea, almost 90 percent of antibiotics are dispensed over the counter.
The African Union has established a body that aims to strengthen research; advocate for policies, laws, and good governance; enhance awareness; and engage civil society organizations.
Fighting antimicrobial resistance involves developing new antibiotics and making sure they reach the people who need them. Above all, it’s crucial to shift attitudes towards antibiotics so that they are used wisely. 
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Nadine Dreyer is the Health and Medicine Editor at The Conversation.
This article is republished from The Conversation.