Nigeria’s ability to treat common infections could be seriously jeopardised by the rise of drug-resistant organisms, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned, as it raises alarms over the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
NCDC Director-General Dr Jide Idris described AMR as a “silent killer” that now causes more deaths globally than malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS combined.
“AMR is a silent killer. It kills more than the combination of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS together. The worst thing is that not much is known about it, especially among the public. It has become a global focus,” Idris told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview on Saturday
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve to withstand the medications meant to kill them. This makes previously treatable infections harder to cure and increases the risks associated with surgeries, childbirth, and chemotherapy
some level of resistance occurs naturally, Idris emphasised that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics—in human medicine, agriculture, and even animal rearing—have significantly increased the phenomenon.According to him, antibiotics are often accessed without prescriptions, and even healthcare professionals frequently prescribe them without proper diagnosis, which he says further fuels the crisis.
