Tripoli, 12 February – WHO Representative in Libya Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, the Minister of Health of Libya Dr Ahmed Bin Omar and the Director-General of the National Centre for Disease Control recently endorsed a national plan of action to prevent and contain antimicrobial resistance in Libya. The document was signed on 11 February 2019 in Tripoli. Representatives of relevant United Nations agencies, national and international organizations, experts from various sectors, deans of universities, mayors of municipalities and officials from the Health Information Centre of the Ministry of Health attended the event.
The key objective of the national plan is to support the joint efforts of WHO and the Ministry of Health to combat the spread of resistant bacteria to antibiotics and enhance the meaningful involvement of key decision-makers in this campaign. The plan paves the way for enhanced awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance through effective communication, education and training.
“Countries like Libya are more vulnerable to antimicrobial resistance because of weak regulatory systems and over-the-counter sale of antibiotics/antimicrobials. WHO is committed to supporting the Ministry of Health to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy-makers to avoid further emergency and spread of antibiotic resistance,” said Dr Jaffar Hussain.
Related links
Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance
Factsheet on antimicrobial resistance
Factsheet on antibiotic resistance
