Around 300 million people across the globe are at risks of death by the year 2050 due to antibiotic resistance caused by unnecessary uses and overdose of the life-saving drugs to human and animal health, animal feeds and farm production, say health experts.
They said Bangladesh, being the most densely populated country in the world with growing human and livestock populations and intensifying agriculture, is a prime spot for emerging zoonotic pathogens that cause infected diseases and antibiotic resistance is a major concern for human health in the country.
This was revealed at a seminar in the city on Saturday (Nov 10). The One Health Bangladesh in collaboration of International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), the Department of Livestock Services, the Directorate of Health Services and other partners organised the seminar on the occasion of One Health Day, news agency BSS reports.
The experts, both local and international, opined that to overcome the challenge, the world community, as well as the governments especially in the third world countries like Bangladesh, should strictly check unnecessary use of antibiotics through formulating and strictly enforcing laws to limit sales and use of antibiotics without physicians’ advice.
At the same time, they said, there should have a strong monitoring over the physicians and drug manufacturers so that no aggressive sales campaign can be conducted to influence prescription of such medicines unnecessarily and excessively.
Md Raisul Alam Mondal, secretary of Ministry of Fisheries & Animal Resources, was present at the seminar as the chief guest while Dr Hiresh Ranjan Bhowmik, director general of Department of Livestock Services, spoke as special guest.
Senior Technical Adviser of One Health and Veterinary Education Professor Dr Nitish C Debnath presented a keynote at the seminar while David Doolan, deputy FAO representative in Bangladesh, Prof Allen Ross, senior director of Infectious Diseases Division of ICDDR,B, also spoke.
Dr Eric Brum, team leader of FAO-ECTAD, Bangladesh, also presented a paper on ‘Antimicrobial Resistance: Tripartite Effort to Combat’.
A paper on ‘Outbreak Communication & Advocacy’ was presented by Bangladesh Center for Communication Programme (BCCP), a partner of the event.
As part of One Health Day-2018 observance, a daylong exhibition, a gallery walk through Smithsonian’s Panel Exhibits and essay competition were also organised at the seminar.
Apart from these, a number of scientific sessions including ‘Outbreak Communication and Advocacy’ were organised on the sidelines of the seminar with presentations, panel discussions and interactive dialogue.
Md Raisul Alam Mondal underscored the need for restricting sales of antibiotic randomly without prescription by physicians.
He also urged the authorities concerned to take steps so that drug-maker cannot conduct aggressive advertisement and sales promotion campaign to influence doctors in suggesting life saving drugs to patients, where not necessary.
Referring to a research study of Food and US Drug Administration (FDA), Dr Hiresh Ranjan Bhowmik said about 70 percent of antibiotics used in animal feed are not suitable.
“But knowingly or unknowingly those are randomly being used which ultimately transmitted to the human body causing anti-body to public health,” he said.
The Department of Livestock Services DG said the government has taken measures to overcome the threat of abusive and excessive use of antibiotic for human and animal as well as animal feed.
“The Animal Feed Act has already been enacted to this end,” he said, adding that the most important thing is to strictly enforcement of the law.
Bhowmik said the concerned department is monitoring the producers of animal feed and there is a drive of mobile court. “If any violation of the law is found, then stern actions are being taken,” he said.
Urging all to act jointly for resolving this crisis, he said the creation of mass awareness is essential for making all people educated about adverse consequences of misuse and overdose of antibiotics. “Use of herbal medicine can a good solution to use of antibiotics,” he suggested laying importance of undertaking biosecurity action plan to minimize antibiotic resistance.
In his paper, Dr Eric Brum mentioned the One Health Guideline of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that suggested for use of narrow spectrum antibiotic.
One Health Strategic Framework was introduced in Bangladesh in 2012.
Study suggests most diseases that infect humans are zoonotic and they originate in other animals. When people began to farm and domesticate animals around 11,000 years ago, the risk of exposure to zoonotic diseases increased.