By WASITA ROYAL
The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as a grave global public health threat. AMR occurs when medicines like antibiotics and antivirals lose their effectiveness, making infections harder to treat and common medical procedures more dangerous.
WHO always highlights this crisis during World AMR Awareness Week (November 18th-24th).
It pointed out that the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and agriculture have driven this threat, demanding a unified “One Health” response from all sectors.
In East New Britain Province, staff from Rabaul Provincial Hospital’s pharmacy and pathology sections, recently joined this global effort. Led by Laboratory Manageress Miriam Tololo, the team stressed that increased public awareness is critical to addressing the factors causing antibiotics to become resistant.
The local campaign targets the public, health workers, and policymakers, educating them on how microbes become resistant to medicines leading to untreatable infections. A key local concern is the sale of antimicrobial drugs by untrained street vendors. Mrs Tololo emphasized that this practice accelerates AMR through inappropriate use, incorrect dosages, and the distribution of substandard or counterfeit medicines, as buyers often self-medicate without proper guidance.
This local initiative aligns with the broader WHO campaign, which calls for careful antibiotic use, improved hygiene, and policy changes to combat AMR.
The message remains clear that “AMR is a growing global health crisis affecting humans, animals, and the environment” where concerted action at every level is urgently required to mitigate its devastating consequences.