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From Mabasa Sasa at the UNITED NATIONS
Small countries cannot aspire to economic development in the absence of robust health systems, and require assistance to build capacity to meet health-related challenges, President Mugabe has said. Addressing the High-Level Meeting of the 71st United Nations General Assembly on Antimicrobial Resistance in New York yesterday, President Mugabe added that the increased incidence of “superbugs” — microbes that are resistant to available drugs — could erode gains made via the Millennium Development Goals and posed a considerable threat to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria become resistant to these drugs, meaning people with infections like pneumonia are exposed.
The latest research from Harvard University, published in the journal Science, demonstrates how bacteria like E Coli — often found in meat — can within 11 days develop resistance to antibiotics such that in just 11 days it requires more than 1 000-times the normal dosage for treatment.
President Mugabe said, “No nation can effectively engage in economic activities and pull itself out of poverty when even the most mundane of ailments and routine procedures are life- threatening.
“Strengthening health systems is essential in addressing antimicrobial resistance. Most developing countries’ health systems are weak, fragmented and unable to cope with complex health crises. Moreover, identifying cases of antibiotic resistance remains a challenge due to inadequate surveillance systems and archaic diagnostic infrastructure for infectious diseases.
“We believe that promoting universal health coverage is an essential tool towards strengthening health systems and a sustainable healthy nation. Sustained immunisation, campaigns, as well as other infection prevention strategies, should be used collectively as the first line of defence in our war against infectious diseases.”
President Mugabe said international cooperation across diverse health-related sectors was key to tackling increased microbial resistance.
Zimbabwe’s Head of State and Government told fellow world leaders, “. . . let me underline the imperative of capacity building for developing countries.
“Our countries need to be assisted to strengthen their ability to assess the scope of the challenge locally and map out comprehensive response strategies and national action plans which prioritise the one-health approach. We look forward to continued engagement on this critical issue.”
This is the first time world leaders have sat down to deliberate on a matter that researchers at Harvard University have now demonstrated to be literally of grave concern.
The researchers say the rate of mutation of bacteria means pharmacologists have their work cut out coming up with interventions.
“We can see by this process of accumulating successive mutations, that bacteria, which are normally sensitive to an antibiotic, can evolve resistance to extremely high concentrations in a short period of time,” Dr Michael Baym was quoted saying ahead of UN High-Level Meeting.
President Mugabe has been in New York since Sunday for the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, which meets exactly a year after adoption of 17 SDGs, which are successor international targets to the 2000 to 2015 Millennium Development Goals.
The post-2015 development programme covers the period through to 2030 and seeks to build on gains realised in improving livelihoods from the turn of the millennium.
Online Reporter
Peter Tanyanyiwa