MBARARA: The meat on your dinner table could become deliciously healthier soon if a strategy proposed by a team of Ugandan researchers is anything to go by.
The innovation, which aims at reducing the use of antibiotics, antiseptics, and disinfectants (antimicrobial use-AMU) in animals as a remedy for drug resistance (antimicrobial resistance- AMR), is a behavioral and interdisciplinary approach drawing from several disciplines such as sociology, economics, politics, human and animal medicine.
Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics – are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals, and plants, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Antimicrobial resistance, according to WHO, is a state in which germs like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs are not killed and continue to grow, posing a danger to our health.
In other words, WHO simplifies AMR to mean a situation when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death in both animals and humans.
The Study
In the latest study titled: “Reducing Antimicrobial use and Dependence along the value chain in Livestock production systems: Innovative solutions based on an interdisciplinary Approach,” researchers at Makerere University’s College of Health Sciences, Mbarara University of Science and Technology’s School of Medicine, Uganda Christian University’s College of Health Sciences, and Clarke International University, drawing from multi discipline resources, have concluded that a behavioral approach which sees beyond mere AMU, and is a convincing additional remedy for antimicrobial (drug) resistance in livestock.
This means that once the approach is adopted, we could smile all the way to the dinner table without thinking twice about the contaminated meats.
The researchers are; Prof. Pauline Byakika–Kibwika, a Ugandan specialist physician, internist, epidemiologist, academic, and researcher, who serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Dr. Rose Clarke Nanyonga, Vice Chancellor of Clarke International University, Nathan Mugenyi, a global health scholar and research scientist at Mbarara University of Science and Technology and, Prize Ninsiima from Uganda Christian University.
“The solution to the question “who to target” does not need to be limited to the actual users of the antimicrobials. Other sources could be targeted. This idea has been reinforced by systemic approaches that suggest that there are many more actors who have an influence on how food is being produced and that often, farmers are end-of-pipe decision-makers largely influenced by the practices and demands of other actors in the system,” the researchers suggest.
In the study, they further suggest that to reduce antimicrobial use and dependence in livestock production, it is necessary that farmers, as ultimate users, and veterinarians, as antibiotics prescribers, change their behavior, and focus beyond the box.
They suggest three routes to induce voluntary behavioral change which include;
One: Regulation where “bad” behavior in antimicrobial use is made illegal and “good” behavior is made mandatory. They suggest a ban on the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters.
Two: Provisions and tools to make people become motivated to change their behavior. Examples of such tools include coaching sessions to develop and implement farm health plans and alternative treatments, they write.
And Three: A Communication Education mix to induce voluntary behavioral change. Herein, the researchers propose that via these mechanisms, change agents attempt to change the internal motivation of decision makers so that they become convinced that behavioral change is the best decision. They borrow from economics to suggest that demonstration of the cost-effectiveness of reduced AMU, such as improved management strategies (that is, biosecurity strategies), can be used as incentives.
“This is arguably one of the most used and investigated routes, mainly in the field of social veterinary epidemiology, which is the study of human behavior that affects the causes, spread, prevention, and control of animal diseases and health problems, and related disciplines,” they argue in their ground-breaking study.
They add: “To reduce antimicrobial use and dependence in livestock production, it is necessary that farmers, as ultimate users, and veterinarians, as antibiotics prescribers, change their behavior. It is thus only logical that policies and strategies target them.”
What Government, farmers, and Vets can learn from this study
The researchers propose innovation/strategy largely inform policymakers in the livestock sector, and antimicrobial use advocates because it is a “systemic approach to enable the development of antimicrobial (drug) resistance (AMR) solutions that are technically, politically, economically and, last but not least, behaviorally feasible by allowing the identification of; all actors influencing antimicrobial use (AMU) in livestock production, power relations between these actors, adequate regulatory and intervention bases, what behavioral change strategy to use, whom should implement this, as well as the cost-effective assessment of combinations of interventions.”
“We have introduced an approach that relies on interdisciplinary systemic approaches to comprehensively characterize antimicrobial decision system, hence identifying all actors influencing AMU in livestock production, adequate regulatory and intervention bases, which behavioral change strategies to use and whom should implement this,” they conclude.
This inspiring study relied on multiple sources of literature, global examples, and experiences in order to develop an interdisciplinary research agenda on strategies for reducing the dependence on AMU and the threat of AMR from social science and economic point of view.
“The study is trying to offer interdisciplinary-based innovative solutions to regulate/optimize/rationalize the usage of antibiotics(antimicrobial use) in Livestock farming so as to alleviate incidences of drug resistance. As it may lead to death of the cattle,worsen disease conditions and even loses to the farmer,” says Nathan Mugenyi, one of the researchers.
Asked what the study’s key contribution was, he said:
“Fundamental Concerns for Defining Policies and Strategies to Mitigate AMR in Livestock farming,” he says.
He adds that the research team has come up with policies on Antimicrobial usage among farmers which are vital in creating awareness about the rational ussage of antimicrobials.
“We have also highlighted a pattern on change of behavior and farmers’ perspectives in regards with antimicrobial use,” he adds.
The researchers observe that their perspective was inspired by how social scientists and economists contributed to environmental policies and from this, we discuss how knowledge about farmers’ behavior and the system in which they operate can contribute to answering central concerns AMR and the needed interventions in livestock production,” they further conclude.
Uganda’s Meatatarian terrain
According to the 2019 statistics released by the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), beef consumption in Uganda is only 6 kilograms per capita, which is below the recommended 50 kilograms by FAO. FAO also reveals that Uganda’s poultry meat consumption per capita reached 1.54 kilograms in 2019.
Uganda has 14.2 million cattle, 16 million goats, 4.5 million sheep, and 47.6 million poultry. The country also has 4.1 million pigs plus some donkeys and camels.
Speaking on meat and beef consumption levels against the requirement in Uganda in June last year, a senior veterinarian, retired public servant, and owner of Bole Farm Ltd, Dr. E. Mukasa-Mugerwa, cattle offtake for slaughter purposes is 8% amounting to 1,136,000 cattle slaughtered a year.
Dr. Mugerwa said an average carcass weight is 185 kg resulting in an annual yield of 210,160,000 kg of beef and an annual value of the beef industry standing at approximately US$500 million.
‘‘Beef accounts for 59% of total meat production. The recommended meat intake is 56 kg a year. However, the average meat intake is 14 kg a year just 25% of the recommended while the average beef intake is 5.2-kg a year, 37% of meat intake,” Dr. Mugerwa decried.
The AMU/ AMR Danger
The WHO warned in July 2020, that Antibiotic resistance leads to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality. The world urgently needs to change the way it prescribes and uses antibiotics. Even if new medicines are developed, without behavior change, antibiotic resistance will remain a major threat.
Accordingly, on the basis of our predictive statistical models, there were an estimated 4·95 million (3·62–6·57) deaths associated with bacterial AMR in 2019, including 1·27 million (95% UI 0·911–1·71) deaths attributable to bacterial AMR. At the regional level, we estimated the all-age death rate attributable to resistance to be highest in western sub-Saharan Africa, at 27·3 deaths per 100 000 (20·9–35·3), and lowest in Australasia, at 6·5 deaths (4·3–9·4) per 100 000.
Also, according to the EMA Antimicrobial use in animals can contribute to the emergence of resistant bacteria that can be transferred to humans through the food chain or direct contact. This can reduce the effectiveness of antimicrobials for treating human disease.
Additionally, the FAO has warned that the reduced effectiveness of antimicrobials such as antibiotics, which are spreading worldwide, faster every day, if not addressed, could force millions of people into extreme poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
According to Juliet Sentumbwe- Director of Animal Resources at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), antimicrobial resistance is a big challenge that is, however, preventable and requires different actors to use reliable information to create awareness about the risks and prevention of misuse of antimicrobials.
“Antimicrobial resistance is a silent killer. It is a big risk to our national economy and will be too expensive for us as a country to handle, said Sentumbwe.
“However, it is preventable and we need to understand the risks we face so that, working with Government and non-state actors, we can develop guidelines, interventions, and policies to address the problem”, she added recently in a press interview.
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Additional Sources for this story:
1. Antimicrobial resistance in veterinary medicine
2. Ugandans consume less meat than recommended – Livestock Experts
3. Antimicrobial resistance threatens food and income security in Uganda FAO, MAAIF study urges actions to tackle AMR in livestock and fisheries
4. Antimicrobial resistance
He Is A Longtime Journalist In Uganda Who Has Served As A Cab Reporter And Later On As Bureau Chief At Daily Monitor Newspaper From 1999 To 2001. In June 2001, He Co-Founded Uganda’s First English Tabloid Newspaper, Red Pepper Where He Has Served In Various Capacities From Managing Editor To Advertising Director, Ending His Career As Marketing And Digital Media Director In 2020.
A Holder Of A Master Of Science In Marketing From Salford University And Currently A Ph.D. Fellow In Journalism And Communication At Makerere University, Rugyendo Is A Desmond Tutu Fellow, Crans Montana New Leader, And Chairman Of Young Engineers Uganda And Uganda Premier League.
