UK Takes Action Against Kenyan Disease Spread
Wednesday, the United Kingdom (UK) announced that it would provide financial assistance to Kenya and several other nations to combat lethal antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Kenya is one of 25 African and Asian nations that will receive Ksh38 billion to combat the disease and reduce the hazard it poses to the United Kingdom.
According to a statement issued by the British High Commission in Nairobi, this financing represents the largest investment in global AMR surveillance ever made by any nation.
To combat AMR, the funds will be used to construct cutting-edge laboratories, disease surveillance systems, and a larger global workforce.
“The funding – from the government’s UK aid budget – will support the Fleming Fund’s activities to combat AMR in countries across Asia and Africa over the next three years, helping to reduce the threat it poses to the UK and globally,” read a portion of the statement.
Steve Barclay, secretary of state for the United Kingdom, declared that antimicrobial resistance was a silent killer that presented a significant threat to the health of people worldwide, particularly in the United Kingdom.
“It must be stopped in its tracks, and this record funding will allow countries most at risk to combat it and prevent it from claiming more lives across the globe, thereby making us safer at home,” he said.
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Barclay explained that the funding builds on the UK government’s efforts to incentivize the development of novel antibiotics and that other G20 nations are attempting to implement a similar model.
What is AMR?
AMR is a fatal disease in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 35,000 deaths in 2019 alone.
Since AMR has evolved to the point where antibiotics and other current treatments are ineffective, the United Kingdom wishes to ensure that immigrants do not introduce new infections to their territory.
It is anticipated that the funding will be used to build pandemic preparedness on the ground throughout the globe, utilizing data to drive action and stimulate investment.
During the launch of the fund, UK Special Envoy on AMR Dame Sally Davies stated, “This world-leading investment in AMR laboratories, workforce, and systems is essential to achieving our vision of a world without drug-resistant infections.”
Ghana, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia are the additional recipients of the funding.
The investment will also include new genome sequencing technology, which will aid in tracing bacterial transmission between humans, animals, and the environment, and will result in the establishment of over 250 cutting-edge laboratories across the identified African and Asian nations.
UK Takes Action Against Kenyan Disease Spread
