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To stay healthy, Ghanaians have been cautioned to desist from misusing antibiotics. To slow the growth of bacteria, many people use antibiotics also known as antibacterial as their medications. But according to Mr. Brian Adu Asare, to help contain and prevent persistent infections, the public must stop the wrongful use of antibiotics.  

Mr. Adu Asare, a Programmes Officer of the Ghana National Drugs Programme (GNDP), stated that misusing antibiotics makes it resistant to the control of microbial diseases. When this happens, treating infectious diseases with antibiotics becomes vain and costly.

Speaking to journalists at a Workshop on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) organized by the Minsitry of Health (MOH) in Accra, Mr. Adu Asare disclosed that there was a need to widen the media’s understanding on AMR in order to make the public aware that there is an on-going policy process on drug resistance in Ghana.

AMR is as a result of the disproportional and inappropriate use of antibiotics which develops when micro-organisms obtain resistant gene.  Mr. Adu Asare indentified the reckless use of antimicrobial medicines as the reason responsible for micro-organisms ability to withstand antibiotics.

He further noted that the use of antibiotics in livestock and tilapia as growth boosters and protection from bacterial infections is a health threat to the public. The transfer of small antibiotics left in such animals when consumed by man, leads to the creation of resistant gene in the human body.  

According to him, Ghana is currently developing a comprehensive policy on Multi-Drug Resistance to tackle all issues which influence antimicrobial resistance in the country.

He added that in putting together the comprehensive policy on AMR, the MOH would look at areas such as infection, prevention and control, both at the hospital level and in the communities.