Lilongwe Cycling Club in antibiotics resistance awareness campaign

* The Club’s 78 members cycled 43 kilometres through the streets of Lilongwe Gateway Mall through the Bypass Road

* With some stops in busy markets such as Zankutu, Wakawaka, Biwi and City Centre

* Distributing fliers and directly engaging with community members on how to combat antibiotics resistance related deaths

By Emmanuel Yokoniya, MANA

Many people in the country take antibiotics without doctor’s prescription and they do not finish the dosage which leads to the body’s resistance to medicines at some point.

Advertisement

Thus Lilongwe Cycling Club (LCC) on Monday joined Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to raise awareness of the dangers of anti-microbial resistance (AMR) to reduce antibiotics resistance-related deaths.

The Club’s 78 members cycled 43 kilometres through the streets of Lilongwe Gateway Mall through the Bypass Road with some stops in busy markets such as Zankutu, Wakawaka, Biwi and City Centre — distributing fliers and directly engaging with community members on how to combat antibiotics resistance related deaths.

The cycling club’s chairperson, Amos Nyambo said hundreds of people were reached out, adding that they are also promoting fitness.

“Upon realisation that antibiotics resistance weakens people’s bodies, we thought it wise to participate in this campaign to help people understand its causes and prevention,” Nyambo said.

Advertisement

He asked the club’s members to take messages about antibiotics resistance to their respective communities and churches in order to reach as many people as possible.

In a separate interview, antimicrobial resistance national coordinator in the Ministry of Health, Watipaso Kasambara described the problem as increasing in the country, hence the need to take only antibiotics under the prescription of a doctor and ensure finishing the dosage.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), AMR occurs when bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites evolve and become more resistant to medicines, hence becoming harder to treat the increasing risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

WHO estimates that globally 700,000 people die every year due to antibiotics resistance-related causes and projects 10 million deaths by 2050 — if nothing tangible is done in an attempt to deal with the situation.

Malawi, through Ministry of Health, joined the rest of the world in commemorating Antimicrobial Awareness Week from November 18-24, November with a symposium at the Bingu International Convention Centre.

Advertisement