Alarming Spread of Drug-Resistant Infections Threatens Lives In Zimbabwe

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is no longer an invisible threat in Zimbabwe, with available data showing that commonly used antibiotics are increasingly failing due to treatment resistance and weak control mechanisms around antibiotic sales.

In a statement, microbiologist and biotechnologist Otilia T. Mashavira warned that failure to prioritise the growing AMR crisis was allowing drug-resistant infections to spread quietly through hospitals, communities and the food system.

Mashavira said the most worrying aspect was that Zimbabwe already has data on AMR, raising questions over why authorities remain largely silent on a crisis that threatens thousands of lives each year.

“AMR in Zimbabwe is not invisible and not inevitable. The data exists. The policies exist. What is missing is consistent action, from regulating antibiotic sales, to reducing empiric treatment, to using surveillance data to guide everyday decisions,” she said.

“If AMR continues to be documented but not acted upon, Zimbabwe will keep losing the power of its medicines and lives will be lost to infections that should be treatable.”

She added that “drug-resistant infections are rising, antibiotics are sold freely, and life-saving data is still not fully used.”

Zimbabwe’s response to AMR is guided by a One Health National Action Plan (NAP) (2023–2027), aligned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Action Plan and building on the earlier 2017–2022 strategy.

The plan brings together the health, agriculture and environmental sectors under a multisectoral AMR committee.

“On paper, the framework is solid. In reality, the available data is still not being fully translated into action. The numbers exist and they are concerning,” Mashavira said.

She noted that although nationally disaggregated AMR mortality data remains limited, global and regional modelling paints a worrying picture.

“Although nationally disaggregated AMR mortality data remains limited, global and regional modelling estimates suggest that approximately 15,800 AMR-associated deaths occurred in Zimbabwe in 2019 alone, contributing significantly to the AMR burden in sub-Saharan Africa,” she said.

Mashavira further highlighted that Zimbabwe has been reported to have a Drug Resistance Index (DRI) of around 66.6%, far above global benchmarks.

“This indicates that many commonly used antibiotics are no longer reliably effective,” she said.

She cited surveillance data and regional analyses, including findings from the Mapping Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Partnership (MAAP), which show high resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones among priority pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus.

“These resistance patterns are strongly associated with treatment failure, prolonged illness and increased risk of death. Yet despite these signals, AMR data in Zimbabwe is largely confined to reports and sentinel sites, with limited influence on routine clinical decision-making, procurement policies or public awareness,” Mashavira explained.

She said one of the most persistent challenges remains the continued reliance on empiric diagnosis, where antibiotics are prescribed based on symptoms rather than laboratory confirmation.

“In many health facilities, antibiotics are prescribed not because clinicians are unaware of AMR, but because diagnostic capacity remains uneven,” she said.

“As a result, resistant infections are often treated repeatedly with antibiotics that no longer work, allowing bacteria to survive, spread and become even harder to treat.”

Mashavira also raised concern over the widespread sale of antibiotics without prescriptions, particularly in informal markets.

“At the community level, the problem is even more visible. Antibiotics are widely sold without prescriptions, particularly through informal markets and unregulated outlets,” she said.

“This unrestricted access encourages self-medication, incorrect dosing and premature stopping of treatment, all of which accelerate resistance.”

While Zimbabwe’s National Action Plan recognises antimicrobial use regulation as a priority, Mashavira said enforcement remains weak, especially in livestock production systems and informal drug markets.

She warned that the same antibiotics used in hospitals are often administered to animals, creating pathways for resistant bacteria to move between humans, animals, food and the environment.

“The real problem is data without action. Zimbabwe does not suffer from a lack of AMR evidence, but from the under-use of that evidence,” she said.

“Surveillance data is collected but not consistently applied to guide prescribing, regulate antibiotic sales or inform public behaviour.”

“Without stronger enforcement, routine use of diagnostics and sustained domestic investment, AMR will continue to grow and many lives will be lost.”

Source: NewZimbabwe.com