Current rates of purchasing of antibiotics without a prescription across sub-Saharan Africa; rationale and potential programmes to reduce inappropriate dispensing and resistance.

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern. Currently, the greatest mortality due to AMR is in Africa. A key driver continues to be high levels of dispensing of antibiotics without a prescription.

Antibiotic prescribing amongst South African general practitioners in private practice: an analysis of a health insurance database.

Objectives: To investigate the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing among GPs in the private primary healthcare sector in South Africa.

Methods: An anonymized national database of claims for antibiotic prescriptions was obtained from a large medical insurer. Antibiotic prescriptions were categorized based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes as 'appropriate', 'potentially appropriate' and 'inappropriate' using a classification scheme developed by Chua ( 2019; 364: k5092).

Tackling antimicrobial resistance across sub-Saharan Africa: current challenges and implications for the future.

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a concern as this increases morbidity, mortality, and costs, with sub-Saharan Africa having the highest rates globally. Concerns with rising AMR have resulted in international, Pan-African, and country activities including the development of national action plans (NAPs). However, there is variable implementation across Africa with key challenges persisting.