Murang’a County Departments of Health, Agriculture, and Environment in collaboration with key stakeholders have launched and disseminated the updated and costed County Antimicrobial Stewardship Interagency Committee (CASIC) Work plan for 2024-2026.
This comprehensive “One Health” approach launched sets out targeted actions to advance the county’s strategic goals in combating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
Speaking during the launch, Dr Loise Kariuki, a clinical pharmacist and an AMR vocal person in the county, explained that AMR occurs when medicines such as antibiotics that are used to treat infections stop working as well as they used to.
She said the CASIC work plan provides a common framework for action by all stakeholders from the different departments, in managing and implementing appropriate AMR control activities.
“AMR occurs due to overuse or misuse of antibiotics such as taking antibiotics when they are not needed for example because someone has a cold,” she said.
“AMR also occurs in areas like in hospitals where there are many sick people or at the community level if someone with a resistant infection comes into contact with others,” she added.
Dr. Kariuki stated that through concerted efforts the county can control the occurrence and spread of AMR by using antibiotics only when necessary and preventing infections by practicing good hygiene like regular handwashing and embracing vaccination both in humans and in animals.
She noted that in 2020, as a show of commitment in the fight against this growing problem, Murang’a County constituted a committee with members drawn from the departments of health, agriculture and environment whose purpose was to collaborate and join efforts in fighting AMR and spreading awareness to all stakeholders and the public.
Another work plan was also developed to guide in activities geared towards prevention of infections.
“The County Department of Health also introduced the revised County Infection Prevention and Control Advisory Committee (CIPCAC) Work plan, aimed at enhancing infection prevention measures across the county,” she said noting that both work plans were updated based on experiences, lessons learned, achievements, and gaps identified from the implementation of the initial versions.
Dr William Mwangi from the county veterinary department, on his part, cautioned people against self-diagnosis and called upon members of the public to use antibiotics only on prescription.
Mwangi further cautioned farmers against selling animal produce before the withdrawal time after treatment is over.
“Drugs given to animals may cause drug resistance in people if the correct guidelines are not followed,” he said.
He called upon the government to offer more support and bring on board more stakeholders to create awareness through continuous sensitisation of the public.
Dr Ndinda Kusu of USAID Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) underscored the dangers posed by AMR, noting that it is a real challenge that is causing deaths.
Dr. Kusu said that all the stakeholders from the different departments must be vigilant and work together to manage the problem and called upon the county government to continue pooling resources even from nontraditional donors and partners saying AMR is a silent pandemic.
Supported by the USAID (MTaPS) Programme, these efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance also extend to health facilities, where facility-level antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and infection prevention and control (IPC) programme implementation, monitoring and reviews strengthen the county’s AMR containment initiatives.
By Purity Mugo
