NAIROBI, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan scientists on Wednesday urged evidence-based research, public awareness and regulatory reforms to boost action on antimicrobial resistance that has become a public health crisis.
Samuel Kariuki, acting director general of Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) said there was a need to educate the public and highlight some of the leading causes of drug resistance to infections caused by pathogens.
Anti-microbial resistance poses a great challenge as most citizens and community members are unaware of the risk associated with over or under dosing of drugs and buying drugs over the counter without a prescription, Kariuki told journalists in Nairobi.
A report by Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development Data says that many first-line drugs have become less effective against pathogens like bacteria and viruses.
"Excessive use and misuse of antibiotics will lead to common fungal infections that can grow in one's body which are later difficult to treat. We need to conserve antibiotics and use them carefully," said Kariuki.
He added that researchers have focused on enhanced surveillance amid evidence that some infections cannot be treated by antibiotics due to growing resistance.
"We need to have everyone tested for infections before they start using antibiotics," he added.
Samuel Akech, principal investigator at the health services unit of KEMRI noted that anti-microbial resistance is a pandemic that has not received much attention as the COVID-19 pandemic and many people were not aware of its hazards.
Akech said that incorporating citizens' voices in research focusing on the growing threat of drug resistance is critical to help avert an economic, public health and environmental crisis. Enditem
