are the most serious challenges facing the world
The Secretary-General of the Federation of Arab Hospitals, Professor of Public Health, Professor Tawfiq Ahmed Khoja, stressed the importance of the World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week It lies in stopping antimicrobial resistance, raising awareness about the optimal use of antimicrobial drugs, especially antibiotics, in the world, and encouraging the reduction of the emergence and spread of more drug-resistant microbes.
Khoja said: Addressing the phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance is a top priority for health ministries in all countries of the world, but rather an important part of their plans and strategies, as health ministries have adopted national action plans to combat antimicrobial resistance, as antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria or viruses change, Or fungi, or parasites that form over time and do not respond to medications, which leads to the difficulty of treating diseases resulting from infection with these microbes, which poses a threat to health and development worldwide.
Khoja attributed the reason for the increase in antimicrobial resistance in countries of the world to the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, the lack of clean water, and the lack of adequate infection prevention and control measures, and this leads to promoting the emergence and spread of drug-resistant forms of infection.
He added: Recent years have witnessed an increase in the consumption of antibiotics at the global level, which has led to an increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics. By prescription.
He cited the penalties imposed by some countries, including Saudi Arabia, which succeeded in dealing with antibiotics by setting strict penalties that amount to imprisonment and a fine when the antibiotic is dispensed without a prescription.
Khoja said: According to the World Health Organization, the world records 700,000 deaths annually due to infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and according to a recent study by the organization, by 2025 the death rate will reach 10 million deaths due to the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, 70% of which are in Africa and Asia. .
And he added: The study attributed the reason to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, which causes them to lose their effectiveness against diseases and bacteria, warning the world of their transformation into a new pandemic.
