As farmers in Kenya gradually begin to embrace modern food production systems, animal welfare experts are warning of a possible increase in cases of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Antimicrobials are agents used to prevent the possibility of contracting infections while AMR is the inability of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites to respond to antimicrobial medicines.
Key among the concerns by experts is the heavy and unregulated use of antibiotics by farmers to treat, prevent or control infections in animals which they claim if left unchecked will result in antibiotics resistance and increase the risk of disease spread and deaths.
According to Dr Patrick Muinde, the research manager at the World Animal Protection, 75 per cent of all antibiotics produced globally are used in the livestock production sector. Dr Muinde has warned that unless stakeholders in the food production sector advocate for responsible use of antibiotics among farmers, the country could be slipping into a silent pandemic.
“Antibiotics are currently being used in poultry and pork production for the purposes of ensuring that the animals attain market weight faster. There are also cases where farmers have been known to administer antibiotics to their animals as a preventive measure without consulting veterinary doctors,” said Dr Muinde.
“When you do this you are giving bacteria or pathogens in those animals an opportunity to learn about the antibiotic and to start developing a mechanism to be resistant against the antibiotics. The moment you ingest that animal product, you introduce sub-doses of the antibiotics into your body. Since these small doses are not able to kill the bacteria, when you fall sick and medication is administered you don’t get better because your body has already developed drug resistance,” he added.
His concerns are backed by findings released by the World Health Organisation in 2023 which termed AMR as one of the top global public health and development threats.
According to WHO, AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths globally in 2019.
While releasing the advisory, WHO noted that in addition to watering down the gains of modern medicine, AMR will have a catastrophic effect on the global economy, including huge increases in health expenditures. In their projections, the UN body said that the total expenses incurred for the treatment of resistant bacterial infections alone could reach USD 412 billion annually by 2035.
“AMR makes infections harder to treat and makes other medical procedures and treatments such as surgery, caesarean sections and cancer chemotherapy much riskier. In addition to death and disability, AMR has significant economic costs. It could result in USD 1 trillion additional healthcare costs by 2050, and between USD 1 trillion to USD 3.4 trillion gross domestic product losses per year by 2030,” said the WHO report.
Dr Muinde says that although research shows that Africa will be disproportionately affected by AMR due to its weak policy implementation measures, advocating for food production systems that put animal safety at the centre of what they do could also help reduce the impact.
The researcher who spoke to KNA on the sidelines of an Animal Welfare sensitisation workshop said that World Animal Protection is collaborating with the County Department of Agriculture to conduct a baseline survey to assess the levels of AMR awareness among Nyeri farmers. The survey which has previously been conducted in Kilifi, Nairobi, Makueni, Uasin Gishu, Nakuru and Kericho counties also seeks to address the unregulated access to animal drugs while at the same time sensitising farmers on the importance of seeking professional veterinary advice.
“First we need to see what kind of animal welfare issues farmers have because we need to ensure sustainability of how we produce our foods. That is why we are insisting that much as antibiotics are there to be used, the key is to use them responsibly,” he said.
“We also want to establish farmers’ knowledge about AMR because we believe most of what is happening is caused by lack of knowledge and they also do not know the implications of using these drugs. The survey will also address how the drugs are being accessed and where possible we want to work together to ensure we improve their farming practices which will eventually reduce the need for antibiotics on their farms,” he added.
By Wangari Mwangi
