By Kuda Pembere recently in Murehwa
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a discipline which many are still trying to understand. It is an area of study that takes several years of study to understand and master.
AMR is when antimicrobials cease working in an organism due to overuse or misuse.
But this knowledge, is nothing compared to what the delegates from Africa Union and UN agencies namely the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH), Africa CDC, and Africa Union InterAfrica Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), were entreated to by some grade 3 pupils at Kambarami Primary School in Murehwa.
If the saying that goes, “Catch them young” is anything to go by, it can be aptly be appended by, “watch them defeat AMR.” With further nurturing these Kambarami Primary School pupils are testament Africa can surely beat this menace killing 5 million annually.
It is a sultry afternoon where about five pupils take to the stage displaying their knowledge on AMR.
In the first scene, there are two children playing the role of broiler chicks and the third one being a poultry farmer.
One of the broiler chicks coughs, to be pumped with ARVs and antibiotics.
“This one is sickly and coughing, I think it best I give it some Amoxycilin (Amoxyl),” says the young poultry farmer. “And it is not growing, I should give it some ARVs.”
Scene 2, enters playing an agriculture extension officer, this other pupil comes through at the invitation of a neighbour, advises the broiler farmer to abstain from antibiotics.
Yet the young poultry farmer’s behavior, reflects from Kambarami village, Ms Christine Muunganirwa’s antics in poultry care before the Farmers Field School.
“In this poultry business. Before the farmers field school on poultry farming business, we would rear our chickens but they would die. There were times when the chicks got sick, we would give them our Amoxyl,” she told this writer.
FAO has been working with Zimbabwe’s Agriculture ministry alongside its Agriculture Extension Officers, the Veterinary Department in various districts across the country such as Mutare, Masvingo, Murehwa to mention but these in what are known as Farmer Field Schools. The school started in Murehwa in 2021.
At these Farmer field schools; poultry farmers were taught the prudent care of their chickens to minimize AMR.
“Amongst the lessons was that a poultry farmer can start the rearing as one day old chicks up till they are six weeks old without it falling sick, without using antimicrobials using clean water, proper bedding and warm water for the cold. If the chicks get too much heat, they can get sick again. So we grateful for this program because it taught us a lot.
“Right now, I have five-week old chickens that I haven’t given any antibiotics. I keep the chicks well, changing of bedding, guarding against mosquitos. I adhere to biosecurity measures. If someone wants a chicken they just point at it instead of entering. We even use a tree called Mutiti.
“If the chicken is having reddish or greenish stool, we grind this and put it in water and the stool gets back to normal. So we are grateful that we don’t have to buy and use some of these medicines. We even use chilli for the sticky stool on the anus and after using this tree, the problem goes,” Ms Muunganirwa said.
In Murehwa district, FAO started the training of 25 poultry farmers alongside agricultural extension officers such as Mrs Amanda Gwangwadze.
“From out of the 25 participants, we have only two dropouts. These dropouts were those without passion for poultry farming. The farmer field school assisted us with 100 birds and eight bags and eight bags. As Agriculture extension officers, we did weekly trainings where we introduced special topics on AMR,” she said.
Dr Tinashe Hodobo the One Health focal person for Animal Health, said noted that the high demand for poultry products has resulted in intensified production with some cases having high usage of antimicrobials leading to antimicrobial resistance.
“So under this value chain, we have been looking at alternatives with the use antimicrobials. Things like biosecurity measures where you have a series of measures aimed at preventing the entrance of disease causing organisms in the production system.
“There are hygienic measures, and vaccinations are some of the alternatives and herbs you have highlighted.
“I also need to highlight that under the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe, there is a committee on Complementary Medicines and it is well recognized that we can have other remedies besides the antibiotics and of course the due evaluation of such products is also required to evaluate the performance of these products and recommend for their use,” he said.
African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) AMR expert Dr Joseph Magona commended poultry farmers for not only expressing interest in the reduced use of antibiotics but practicing what they were taught. He loved seeing seeing the children acting about AMR.
“I liked the initiatives of the farmers. They are very ready to learn and improve and with a lot of interest on what they were taught especially poultry production and the way they took up the message of how to avoid misuse of antibiotics in order to control the antibiotic resistance,” he said. “Including teaching the children, that was recommendable.”
On the use of alternatives in lieu of antibiotics, Dr Magona said the employment of biosecurity measures was important.
“The vaccination is a way to reduce the use of antibiotics especially in tickbone disease. If you don’t vaccinate your cattle against January Disease, you are going to use a lot of antibiotics to save the animals, and that will lead to AMR. The other aspect in the poultry, they were using biosecurity measures to control infection
“That is highly recommendable. When you use biosecurity in poultry houses you also reduce on the consumption of antibiotics and that also reduces on the occurrence of AMR. And I am happy the people have embraced these alternative methods,” he said.
He also said while some traditional medicines have proved to be efficacious, they need more research.
“There are a number of alternatives, we call them ethno-veterinary. It can be very useful. We know a number of plants that are very effective on ticks. They are as good as conventional acaricides or pesticides.
“And one of the most common plant that I saw in the villages is lantana camara. The lantana camara leaves are highly efficacious against the ticks up to 95 percent. This is proven. But it needs more research and packaging on how to develop the dilution and more details about use. But more research could be done around the ethno-veterinary. They are good alternatives that can be used to reduce consumption of antibiotics,” the AU-IBAR official said.
Weighing in on Dr Magona’s observation of primary school going children displaying their knowledge on antimicrobial resistance through the play, AU-IBAR Communications expert Ms Fiona Imbali stated it was important to increase communication and education campaigns.
“Effective communication campaigns can drive behavioral changes among prescribers, patients, and healthcare and agricultural stakeholders. By highlighting the consequences of overuse and misuse of antimicrobials, we can motivate individuals to adopt more responsible practices, safeguarding the effectiveness of these critical medicines,” she said.
She added that multi-stakeholder collaboration was important in the fight against AMR.
“Tackling AMR requires a united global effort, and communication serves as a powerful tool for fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders. By working together, we can develop and implement effective communication strategies that address AMR at its root, ensuring a sustainable future for healthcare and agriculture,” Ms Imbali said.
In Zimbabwe, University Students studying Pharmacy and Medicine have for a while now been advocating for proper antimicrobial use .
