UK allocates £210m to fight antimicrobial resistance in Nigeria and beyond

The United Kingdom has introduced a funding initiative of £210 million to establish advanced laboratories, innovative disease surveillance systems, and to expand the global healthcare workforce to combat the urgent challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Nigeria and several nations across Africa and Asia.

The funding’s primary goal is to significantly bolster surveillance capabilities in approximately 25 countries facing the most severe AMR challenges.

The announcement, released on Thursday and signed by Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, the Senior Communications & Public Diplomacy Officer at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office/ British High Commission, highlights the devastating impact of antimicrobial resistance, with around 1.27 million lives lost worldwide each year.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria evolve to a point where existing antibiotics and treatments are no longer effective against infections, and alarmingly, one in five of these deaths occurs in children under the age of five. In 2019, AMR contributed to between 7,000 and 35,000 fatalities in the UK alone.

Key Points from the Statement: The statement unveils that the UK government plans to allocate funds from its aid budget to support the efforts of the Fleming Fund, aiming to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Asian and African countries over the next three years.

This financial backing is designed to counteract the threat of AMR to the UK and the global community.

Furthermore, the funding emphasizes the strengthening of surveillance capabilities in approximately 25 countries grappling with significant AMR challenges and consequences. This initiative spans nations including Nigeria, Indonesia, Ghana, Kenya, and Papua New Guinea, and it will result in over 250 laboratories benefitting from improvements and state-of-the-art equipment.

The statement also discloses that the investment incorporates new genome sequencing technology, a powerful tool to track bacterial transmission among humans, animals, and the environment.

Advancing the Global Healthcare Workforce and Microbiology Scholarships: The funding aims to fortify the global healthcare workforce by facilitating 20,000 training sessions targeted at laboratory personnel, pharmacists, and hospital staff.

Additionally, over 200 scholarships through the Fleming Fund will be supported, enhancing expertise in microbiology, AMR policy, and the One Health concept, which recognizes the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and the environment.

Curbing Antimicrobial Resistance: Steve Barclay, the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, emphasized the critical nature of tackling antimicrobial resistance, noting that it poses a silent threat to global health, including within the UK. He highlighted the importance of this issue being discussed at the G20 summit in India and underscored the significance of the funding in preventing further loss of lives globally.

Dame Sally Davies, the UK Special Envoy on AMR, expressed optimism about the initiative, viewing it as a means to make tangible progress in addressing AMR and pandemic preparedness on a global scale. She stressed that the investment in AMR laboratories, workforce, and systems is pivotal in realizing the vision of a world free from drug-resistant infections.

The statement further detailed that this investment will mark the second phase of the UK-Nigeria Fleming Fund partnership.