Member profile
Mr. James Sakala Siamate
Organization:
Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock
Country:
Zambia
Field(s) of expertise:
I am working on:
Working on the research in one health food safety.
The title is: Quantitative exposure assessment to listeria species through consumption of polony imported from south Africa in Lusaka, Zambia
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Mr. James Sakala Siamate
Hello intellectuals
Good morning to you all. Allow me once more to contribute to our hot topic on AMR & AMU this has really impacted a lot of communities. The use of antibiotics has become the order of the day,use of antibiotics as growth promoters for instance in my country most people are in small scale or back yard garden poultry rearing in most antibiotics are used to survive in the day to day life through selling the chickens.
Therefore in my observation I feel the group of stake holders to be considered as a priority are small scale farmers who need to be educated on the prudent use of antibiotics. The awareness needs to to be emphasized on these group of people. The other group of stakeholders are the big farmers and some company's dealing in livestock rearing in feedlots the AMR & AMU are mostly common due to sustain their business and to meet the demand.
The other stakeholders are the consumers who need a lot of sensitization on the use of antibiotics by the farmers they buy livestock and livestock products. There is need to air programs on dangers of AMR & AMU on local radio stations to run a program that will raise awareness on this topic then we will win the battle.
The academia also needs to be targeted to raise awareness, in primary schools and secondary schools the message needs to be communicated to so as to create awareness to pupils who will eventually educate others on the same, we the food safety people we need to go round the farms and monitor the use of antibiotics on the animal and environment, since this is the source of these antibiotics use.
Booklets or small pamphlets can be printed in all local language's so as to raise awareness. Also holding of public symposiums to engage the community to participate and asses their level of understanding on AMR & AMU then will be able to asses how much knowledge is on the same topic.
For now let me end here.
Kind regards
James
Mr. James Sakala Siamate
Hello colleagues,
The biggest challenge related to AMR & inappropriate AMU in Africa is; in my own opinion countries in Africa share almost same style of practicing farming especially the small scale farmers market,
The technocrats usually are not there to communicate to communities that ate in the farming groups so as to sensitize on the correct use of antibiotics instead untrained personnel are employed to serve the community on the use of antibiotics they don't advise on the proper usage of the drugs.
The other challenge is that most products are in languages that the locals may not be able to understand they will use it indiscriminately like the way oxytetracyclin is being used no one take time to go and monitor its use.
The other challenge antibiotics are sold on counter without prescription hence no professional takes it up to educate on the abuse of antibiotics.
Communication challenge in AMR & AMU in Africa is that since the marketing democracy every person understands the use of antibiotics in his or her own way. It has become difficult to communicate to the society on the prudence use of antibiotics.
Since this has a long term effect on human health, animal health as well as plant health people tend to ignore advises rendered on the danger of abuse of antibiotics.
Therefore one health approach needs to be adopted to overcome this communication challenge on AMR & AMU.
Regards
James
(From Zambia)