Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s framework for antimicrobial resistance control in Africa

Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) organisms are increasing globally, threatening to render existing treatments ineffective against many infectious diseases.1,2 AMR strains of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses prolong illness, increase case fatality, facilitate transmission, and increase treatment costs.3,4 In Africa where many health systems are weak, the likelihood of AMR increasing and the consequences of AMR infections are particularly high, and drug resistance has already been documented for HIV and the pathogens that cause malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, cholera, meningitis, gonorrhoea, and dysentery.5 Patients in these countries have limited access to accurate diagnosis and adequate antimicrobial treatment, which can lead to sepsis and other life-threatening complications.6,