By Maryjane Austine
Drug Resistance Surges in Africa as Health Systems Struggle to Cope
A recent study has uncovered worrying levels of drug resistance in common infections across 14 African countries, raising fresh concerns about the state of healthcare systems on the continent.
The study, led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in collaboration with the African Society for Laboratory Medicine, One Health Trust, and regional partners, reviewed more than 187,000 lab records from 205 laboratories between 2016 and 2019. Countries involved include Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Ethiopia.
The findings paint a troubling picture. Many antibiotics, especially third-generation cephalosporins, are losing their effectiveness. In Ghana and Malawi, these drugs are no longer working in a high number of cases. Infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, often picked up in hospitals, showed resistance to methicillin in over half of the samples across six countries. In Nigeria and Ghana, that figure exceeded 70 per cent.
The elderly and hospital patients were most at risk. People aged 65 and above were nearly 30 per cent more likely to contract drug-resistant infections. Those already hospitalised faced a 24 per cent higher risk, and previous antibiotic use made the situation worse.
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Yet, despite the growing danger, the capacity to detect and respond to drug resistance remains poor. Fewer than 2 per cent of healthcare facilities across the study countries had the tools to properly test for bacterial infections. In addition, only 12 per cent of resistance data could be connected to patient records, making it difficult for doctors to understand how infections spread or respond to treatment.
Some countries, like Senegal, had stronger data systems. Others, including Sierra Leone, still depend on paper records and lack basic digital tools, limiting their ability to track resistance patterns.
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The study, which is the largest of its kind in Africa, was backed by the UK’s Fleming Fund and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its authors are now calling on African governments to make serious investments in laboratory services, regular testing, and digital health systems.
Without urgent action, experts warn that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could wipe out years of progress in public health. Dr Yewande Alimi of Africa CDC put it simply: “We must act now and together, to address AMR.”