The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO has held a one-day consultative meeting in Accra to assess Ghana’s situation with Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU) in Agriculture.
The workshop was to brainstorm and begin the process of developing a “One Health” National Action Plan to address AMR in agriculture with emphasis on fisheries, livestock, food, and public health in Ghana.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a worldwide health threat at the human–animal-environment interface.
Overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in different sectors can result in ineffectiveness of previously successful human and animal treatments of diseases.
Antimicrobials or their active components can also play a role in resistance development if they are present in the environment such as in manure for agriculture purposes from treated animals or humans, water from fishponds or in waste water from the antimicrobial producing industry.
The meeting brought together over fifty participants including government officials, private sector, farming based organisations, academia, the media and other partners.
According to FAO, preventing or reducing pathogens from acquiring AMR can be achieved by applying responsible use of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants in all countries, and also by the regulation of the use of waste products.
Experts at the one-day meeting recommended surveillance to detect AMR and monitor its spread into the environment.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Dr Abebe Haile-Gabriel, the FAO Representative to Ghana, said there is the critical need for collaboration among all the stakeholders and the commitment of resources in achieving this cause.
He said the outcome of the meeting will enable the stakeholders to better organize and work pro-actively towards a national action plan on Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance.
To address the global threat of AMR, a Global Action Plan (GAP) was developed on AMR and adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015.
The member countries committed to develop National strategies and action plan by May 2017.
Source: GNA
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