Veterinary antimicrobial stewardship in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to inform on the current initiatives being taken in South Africa by the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), South African Animal Health Association (SAAHA) as well as other professional and private bodies to implement veterinary antimicrobial stewardship holistically where veterinary, medical and environmental professionals work together to tackle the increasing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Initiatives taken by the National Department of Health are discussed, as well as actions taken by the veterinary profession and the animal health industry. It can be seen that common actions unite all these bodies in following antimicrobial stewardship, such as the implementation of a national antimicrobial use and resistance use program, awareness campaigns on prudent antimicrobial use to the public, limiting the use of antimicrobials by practising good hygiene and pre-registration requirements for all anti-microbials, be they for human or veterinary use. This article also serves as a follow-up article to previous research undertaken on the volumes of antimicrobials used in food animals by the author.