To set the scene, here are three quotes, followed by extracts from the Liberia news article and a comment from me.
'Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been prioritized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. Without intervention it is estimated that global deaths attributable to AMR could reach 10 million annually by 2050... The drivers of AMR are multifactorial but there is no debate that antibiotic overuse has been paramount.'
https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1...
'In addition to death and disability, AMR has significant economic costs. The World Bank estimates that AMR could result in US$ 1 trillion additional healthcare costs by 2050.'
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance#
A systematic review by HIFA and others showed that 'Studies indicated a lack of up-to-date and relevant medicine information [including information on antibiotics] in low and lower middle-income settings.'
https://www.hifa.org/sites/default/files/publications_pdf/BMJGlobalHealt...
With the above in mind I was appalled to read (with thanks to Global Health Now): '9 out of 10 women in Liberia reported taking antibiotics monthly, per a survey of 109 women; many women said they used the antibiotics — which are available without prescription — to “cleanse” themselves after their menstrual cycle, a trend that has grown via widespread misinformation.'
Read in full: https://frontpageafricaonline.com/health/liberia-nine-out-of-every-ten-w...
'Experts said the findings are frightening, suggesting an unseen public health crisis that will fuel antibacterial resistance in the country that is already leaving many people without treatment options and leading to thousands of deaths. Misinformation, limited reproductive health knowledge, and barriers like cost and weak health systems drive the practice, leaving women at risk, and without clear guidance.'
'There is growing evidence that the medicines Liberians rely on to treat major infections like malaria, typhoid, diarrhea, no longer work for patients...'
'Three in every five survey participants said they took the antibiotics in the mistaken belief that a period was an infection. Others said they took the antibiotic to remedy stomach pain or headache...'
COMMENT (NPW):
There is an urgent need to better understand the information needs of the general public and health workers, particularly around the appropriate use of antibbiotics. With your support, the HIFA working group on the information needs for prescribers and users of medicines is ready to address this topic using our tried-and-tested approach with sponsored thematic discussions: see hifa.org/projects/prescribers-and-users-medicines
AMR could result in US$ 1 trillion additional healthcare costs by 2050. A full HIFA project on the information needs of prescribers and users of antibiotics would cost £3-5k ($4-6k) (hifa.org/projects).
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org