The Kenya Red Cross has teamed up with various organizations in a bid to initiate a process that seeks to educate the public on the proper use of medicines.
According to Alice Njari, the Kenya Red Cross Uasin Gishu and Nandi County coordinator, the move follows a worrying trend where Kenyans have been misusing antibiotics, leading to antimicrobial resistance.
She said there is a need for the public to be sensitized to the dangers that come with self-medication.
“We are working with various partners from animal health, environment and health so that we help our people understand the need only to use drugs that a doctor has prescribed,” Njari told Uasin Gishu News.
She spoke in Eldoret during a training session for Journalists from Uasin Gishu County.
“Misuse of antibiotics contributes to disease resistance and in the end, anything small might need medication,” the Kenya Red Cross coordinator said.
Impact of Antimicrobial Resistance
Similar sentiments were shared by Dr Paul Olale, project officer for the Antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
According to Olale, Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top 10 global threats based on data from the World Health Organisation(WHO).
“What is at hand at the moment is that we have had a lot of misuse around drugs and it is a great concern,” he said.
“People tend to run to chemists and pharmacists near them without seeking prescriptions for common illnesses,” he added.
The program dubbed Rohket is being implemented in four African countries – Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
In Kenya, the project is in Uasin Gishu and Kajiado.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a widespread and growing problem, affecting all regions and countries.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), AMR is estimated to cause over 700,000 deaths annually, and this number is expected to increase to 10 million by 2050 if left unchecked.
In Kenya, deaths linked to AMR were at 8,500 annually,.