By Joke Kujenya
A CONTINENT-wide study has uncovered alarming rates of drug resistance in common infections across 14 African countries, exposing critical weaknesses in laboratory capacity, data systems, and health infrastructure.
Researchers analysed over 187,000 lab results collected between 2016 and 2019 from 205 laboratories in countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Ethiopia.
The Mapping Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Partnership (MAAP) study, the largest ever undertaken on the continent, was led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), One Health Trust, and regional partners.
Drug resistance, which renders antibiotics ineffective against infections, was found at worrying levels.
Researchers note that high resistance rates to third-generation cephalosporins were observed in Ghana and Malawi. Staphylococcus aureus, a common hospital-acquired infection, showed over 50 per cent resistance to methicillin in six countries, with Nigeria and Ghana exceeding 70 per cent.
Certain populations were more vulnerable. Patients aged 65 and above were 28 per cent more likely to contract drug-resistant infections, while hospitalised individuals faced a 24 per cent higher risk. Previous exposure to antibiotics further increased susceptibility.
Despite the scale of the problem, the study revealed severe capacity shortfalls. Fewer than 2 per cent of health facilities were equipped to perform bacterial testing, and just 12 per cent of resistance data were linked to patient records, limiting insights into transmission trends and treatment challenges.
Data quality also varied sharply between countries. Senegal maintained the strongest data systems, while Sierra Leone faced significant deficiencies, with many facilities still reliant on handwritten records and lacking digital infrastructure.
The findings, supported by the UK’s Fleming Fund and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), underline the urgent need for national investments in laboratory capacity, regular testing, and integrated digital health systems to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Failure to act could undermine decades of public health progress across the continent. As the One Health Unit Lead at Africa CDC, Dr Yewande Alimi, noted: “We must act now—and together—to address AMR.”
