AMR remains a challenge, women and girls not spared

INTERNATIONAL. Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS) of Denmark has highlighted that women and girls in Zambia, like globally, are disproportionately affected by Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), a pressing public health threat.
Dr Kristoina Osbjer, ICARS Director of Science said women and girls are more susceptible to AMR due to urinary tract infections (UTIs) and sexually transmitted diseases (STIs).
“We see that women and girls often delay seeking medical attention due to stigma in communities,” Dr. Osbjer noted.
She emphasized that AMR significantly impacts the future treatment of women and girls, particularly during pregnancy, childbirth, or through sexual transmission.
Dr Osbjer stressed the importance of understanding the differences in healthcare-seeking behaviours between women, girls, and men. “There are differences in how treatment is allocated and sought by different groups in society,” she observed.
She also highlighted the need for awareness about medical differences between women, girls, and men in treatment approaches.
Regarding the challenge of reduced funding in the health sector, Dr. Osbjer emphasized the need for efficient resource utilization, joint funding, and integrated initiatives. “We need to rethink how resources are used, be more efficient, and target AMR as a critical issue,” she said.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at Washington University reports that AMR is a major global health threat. In Zambia, over 4,000 lives have been lost annually since 1990 due to AMR.
According to the 2024 UN High-Level meeting on AMR, countries aim to reduce AMR-associated deaths by 10% by 2030.
In Zambia, this translates to decreasing AMR-associated deaths from 13,100 to 11,790.
Globally, 4.71 million deaths were associated with bacterial drug-resistant infections in 2021.
The IHME report projects 39 million deaths directly attributable to bacterial AMR between 2025-2050 unless concerted action is taken, equivalent to three deaths every minute