Prof. Oladipo Aboderin, a clinical microbiologist, believes that the constant use of antibiotics may cause resistance in microbes, which is harmful to human health.
Aboderin, a Clinical Microbiology Professor at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, stated this during a lecture at the “2021 World Antibiotics Awareness Week” on Wednesday in Osogbo.
According to him, the United Nations General Assembly declared antibiotic resistance to be a global health emergency in 2016.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) or Antibiotics Resistance, according to Aboderin, is a phenomenon that affects both humans and animals, and it is a situation in which microbes that cause infections in the body become resistant to drugs.
According to him, research conducted in some state hospitals revealed that 8 out of 10 patients undergoing treatment were given antibiotics.
According to Aboderin, the use of antibiotics on patients by many hospitals is becoming more common.
“ARM is caused by the constant and prolonged use of antibiotics.”
“If at all possible, the use of antibiotics to fight infections should be avoided,” he said. “Alternatively, vaccination against infections should be encouraged.”
However, Aboderin stated that the United Kingdom Government, through the Fleming Fund, would assist Nigeria in upgrading 11 microbiology diagnostic centers to combat AMR.
Dr. Tope Akinwumi, President of the Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria, Osun Chapter, explained in his presentation that drug misuse and overuse were more prevalent in the rural environment.
According to Akinwumi, people in the surrounding areas abuse antibiotics and other drugs more frequently.
“Instead of going to see a doctor, people in the surrounding areas tend to self-medicate or visit local chemists to treat themselves for any type of illness.”
“AMR has significantly contributed to the prevalence of diseases, and animals treated with antibiotics frequently transmit AMR microbes to humans when eaten,” he said.
In her contribution, Dr Bukola Oyebamiji, a lecturer in the Department of Animal Science at OAU, stated that AMR can occur when people take drugs even when they are not sick.
Farmers, according to Oyebamiji, frequently create ARM by treating all animals with the same drug, even if some are not sick.
She also stated that living in an environment where animals were bred could lead to AMR infection in humans.
Oyebamiji also stated that some animals may pass antibiotic resistance microbes to humans via urination, feces, or when consumed as food.
She expressed concern that, in the next three to five years, most antibiotics will no longer be effective against microbes due to antibiotic misuse and overuse in the fight against infections.
Oyebamiji stated that Nigerians needed to be educated and sensitized about the dangers of prolonged antibiotic use, as many do not believe AMR is true or possible because its effects are not immediate.
She did, however, say that if the government imposed restrictions on the sale of antimicrobial/antibiotic drugs, the abuse of antibiotics and the rate of ARM would both decrease.