INTRODUCTION: According to World Health Organization, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses,
fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines, making drugs ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illnesses, disability and death. Resistance to antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics has become a global health crisis complicating the treatment of bacterial infections and endangering lives around the world.

CAUSES: Antimicrobial Resistance has been linked but not limited to the following;

•  ANTIBIOTICS MISUSE OR OVERUSE: Most individuals develop habit of taking more antibiotics if the current plan fails to address the concern symptoms while some do not complete the dosage plan immediately they feel relieved. Bacteria can become resistant to an antibiotic when they are exposed to it repeatedly or to incomplete or sub-optimal doses. This can lead to the growth of mutant bacteria which the drug can no longer kill.
• LACK OF LABORATORY TESTING : Without access to proper laboratory diagnosis, health care providers often do not know the cause of patient’s infection, which type of bacteria, bacteria species or strain involved. This can lead to unnecessary or incorrect prescriptions for antibiotics, leaving room for growth of mutant bacteria.
• USE OF COUNTERFEIT DRUGS: Counterfeit drugs may contain the correct antibiotic or antiviral formulation but in a
  lower dose than the label states. This dose may not be enough to treat the disease. This can make pathogens to mutate and spread.
• HEALTH FACILITY SANITARY STATE: Mutant bacteria can also spread in heath facilities with poor sanitation or inefficient infection control, infecting a whole lots of patients  especially immunocompromised individuals.

PREVENTION: The most effective way of preventing AMR is prevention of infections. Less infections translate to using less antibiotic and therefore less chance that bacteria develop resistance and the chance of spreading already resistant strain.

SUMMARY: When you or any other patient seeks treatment for illnesses, consult a doctor and he or she must avoid overuse of antibiotics, or you visit a medical laboratory with good microbiology equipment and personnel that can accurately diagnose infections and point doctors to the correct prescription. Patients should be educated about the importance of taking antibiotics only when they are truly necessary, prescribed by a clinician, and provided by a reputable pharmacy and of taking the prescribed dosage for the prescribed period of time.