A recent study by Gavi found that newborn babies in Nigeria are born with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, specifically colistin-resistant bacteria, in their systems. Gavi, a vaccine alliance, made this known in a post on X, Sunday. The organisation stated that colistin is one of the last remaining effective antibiotics used to treat life-threatening infections like pneumonia.
According to them, the study, conducted between 2015 and 2017, collected samples from 4,907 newborn babies and their mothers in three hospitals in Kano and Abuja. It said the results showed that one per cent of the samples had genes conferring colistin resistance across 41 mothers and eight babies, adding that while the percentage may seem low, it is alarming that any babies were carrying colistin-resistant bacteria within their first week of life. The health body said colistin is rarely used in hospitals and clinics in Nigeria, suggesting that the resistance may have emerged from the increasing use of colistin in agricultural settings in the country.
This is a common practice globally, where antibiotics are used in large quantities to grow crops and in animal feeds to treat and reduce the risk of infection in livestock. PREMIUM TIMES delivers fact-based journalism for Nigerians, by Nigerians — and our community of supporters, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth, meticulously researched news and information.
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