The Federal Government has warned Nigerians against buying antibiotics over the counter, saying it accelerates antimicrobial resistance and leads to avoidable deaths.
The FG made this known on Friday at a press briefing to commemorate World Antimicrobial Awareness Week with the theme ‘Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together’.
The government said the consequences of AMR can affect both human and animal health.
It noted that AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity and has inhibited the effective treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.
Report has it that the WAAW is celebrated from November 18 to 24 November every year.
Speaking at the briefing, the Chair, Nigeria Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination Committee, Dr. Tochi Okwor said buying antibiotics without prescription fuels antimicrobial resistance.
PUNCH