The Conversation: Africa has a long way to go to close the gap on antibiotic resistance
Sabiha Essack, South African research chair in antibiotic resistance and professor in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

“…The burden of antibiotic resistance [in Africa] is … under-estimated. African countries don’t have comprehensive national surveillance systems that quantify the problem in human health. There is also little or no surveillance in animal health. … It will take strong political will to address the challenge of antibiotic resistance. It also needs sustained investment to understand the nature and extent of resistance. This in turn will inform treatment guidelines, antibiotic stewardship and infection prevention, and control measures in humans and animals. Everybody must get involved in the fight against antibiotic resistance: the public and private sectors, governments, and the multinational pharmaceutical industry. … It is time to suspend sectoral interests for the public good” (11/15).