Report says major supermarkets in Kenya selling superbug laden meat

Report says major supermarkets in Kenya selling superbug laden meat

by | Apr 8, 2021 | Animal Welfare, Antimicrobial resistance, My Write Ups, One Health

Report says major supermarkets in Kenya selling superbug laden meat

Kenyan consumers could be eating contaminated meat from the country’s major supermarkets. This is according to a study by World Animal Protection which is challenging stakeholders to improve animal welfare and ensure responsible use of antibiotics to reverse the trend.

The study by the animal welfare organisation, collected samples between April and May 2020 from the top six supermarkets in Nairobi, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Kisumu, Laikipia and Nyeri to determine presence of bacteria and their spectrum of antibiotic-resistant.

The laboratory analysis was done at the Centre for Microbiology Research at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).

Out of the 187 pork samples, 98.4 percent had bacterial growth. In 206 chicken samples, 96.6 percent exhibited bacterial growth.

Key highlights from the report:

    • The most common contaminant was E. coli bacteria however known enteric pathogens such as Salmonella and Shigella were also isolated. While majority of the contaminants were not necessarily harmful, the presence of Salmonella and Shigella was concerning as there is likelihood of an animal origin from the farm level.
    • In the study, 38.5% of the 525 bacterial isolates examined recorded resistance to more than three antibiotics (Multi-drug resistant organisms or Superbugs). This resistance was also noted for high priority antibiotics on the WHO list such as Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, Vancomycin, Cefoxatime and Cefepime.
    • Interesting to note, the highest contamination was found in own brands managed by the supermarkets. It is against this backdrop that the World Animal Protection (Africa office) is urging industry players to improve animal welfare practices and ensure antibiotics are not abused. Supermarkets should start looking at policies around how they buy food supplies. They need to audit and ensure the producer is doing the right thing at the production level,
    • The report also noted that other studies have shown that poor animal welfare and stress factors have the potential of increasing the susceptibility of farm animals to diseases hence increasing the use of antimicrobials to control these infections while reducing the microbiological safety of animal products and threatening public health. for example, a study done in Kenya by the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership (GARP) reported that up to 70% of the imported antibiotics are given to chickens, pigs and cows.
    • The report showed there is a direct correlation between how animals are treated and the quality of the end product.  Morever, misuse of antibiotics in the food chain is impacts public health.

    Proposed solutions by World Animal Protection

    • The report noted that there is need to embrace and actively implement the One Health concept to understand the interconnectivity of animal health, human health and environmental health. For example, when people learn there is a problem with meat, they will tend to shift to eating mboga (vegetables), yet it is this mboga could also be contaminated from the environment and  used as food for humans and feed for some animals. It is therefore important to have a holistic and multisectoral approach in addressing antimicrobial resistance.
    • World Animal Protection believes that responsible use of antibiotics in farm animals is essential in tackling the growing Antimicrobial Resistance. This should be done by putting proper policies and measures aimed at reducing the use of antibiotics on animals by promoting higher welfare production systems in the livestock industry. Such systems should include good housing conditions, health care and the promotion of natural animal behaviour. They should also provide for improved management, biosecurity, hygiene, sanitation, optimal animal husbandry, nutrition, genetics and use of preventive methods such as vaccination, leading to improved animal health and welfare.
    • By eliminating the worst methods and practices of animal production such as the use of cages, crowded or barren conditions, poorly ventilated production units with wet beddings and inadequate feeding systems, animals shall be less stressed hence less likely to suffer illness, leading to less dependency on antibiotics. High welfare production standards are not only good for animals but also for people – their health, livelihoods and businesses.

    The call to action by World Animal Protection 

    World Animal Protection is calling on the following key stakeholders to take urgent action in addressing the superbug crisis:

    • Retailers / Supermarkets: There is a need to strengthen their food procurement policies in order to discourage animals raised in inhumane production systems from accessing their outlets. There is also need to ensure that their suppliers of livestock products commit to using antibiotics responsibly on their farms.
    • Livestock producers/farmers: To move to higher welfare production systems that caters for the fundamental freedoms of the animals and commit to responsible and prudent use of antibiotics in the production system.
    • Government: To strengthen policies and regulatory framework in livestock farming to allow for improved animal welfare and responsible antibiotic use of antibiotics. They should also enforce the available laws especially those that control the access and availability of antibiotics.
    • Consumers: To use their purchasing power to pressure retailers and supermarkets to source and retail products from high welfare production systems. They should also commit to better animal welfare by joining our campaigns to transform global food systems

    References / coverage of the report on mainstream media

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    A Global Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance and its Drivers for the year 2021

    A Global Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance and its Drivers for the year 2021

    by | Feb 25, 2021 | Antimicrobial resistance, My Write Ups, One Health

    A Global Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance and its Drivers for the year 2021

    The State of the World’s Antibiotics 2021 report by Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), on the state of antibiotics introduces country dashboards that capture progress on indicators that track AMR and show what remains to be done to decrease the need for antibiotics and their inappropriate use. Antimicrobial resistance is a clear and present danger to global health. The index and dashboards are designed to help government officials, policymakers, and healthcare stakeholders assess and track AMR status over time and in relation to other countries, and then prioritize actions.

    As the 2010–2020 decade ended, having witnessed a global effort to control antimicrobial resistance, the Covid-19 pandemic arrived as a reminder of the tremendous economic and social damage that infectious diseases can unleash. Among the casualties of Covid-19 is some of the progress made on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Antimicrobials continue to be prescribed for viruses, and countries have reported increasingly high rates of resistance among drugs used to treat common infections. Resistance to first-line antimicrobials is now emerging among the pathogens that cause HIV, malaria, and typhoid fever, threatening global progress on health, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

    One major driver of resistance is the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in human healthcare. Globally, antimicrobial consumption is accelerating worldwide, particularly in LMICs, as the drugs become more accessible and affordable. The use of antibiotics that the World Health Organization deems critically important for human health increased 91% worldwide and 165% in LMICs between 2000 and 2015. Vaccines against many infectious agents are available, but low vaccination coverage, coupled with unsafe water and sanitation, leave many people vulnerable to infection and dependent on antibiotics for treatment. Investments to increase vaccine coverage, improve water and sanitation, and implement antimicrobial stewardship in health facilities could mitigate AMR worldwide.

    The other major factor driving resistance is the widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture and aquaculture. The fast-growing demand for animal protein has increased the use of antimicrobials in the animal health sector, where these drugs are used not only to treat and prevent infection but also to promote rapid growth. All countries need to develop and enforce laws and other policies to reduce the use of antibiotics in both terrestrial and aquatic food animals.

    Access to life-saving antibiotics in LMICs remains an issue. Although AMR poses an urgent global public health threat, more people in LMICs die from lack of access to antimicrobials than from resistant infections. Global efforts to mitigate AMR must also increase access to affordable and clinically appropriate antimicrobials. Antibiotic research and development lags behind clinical need: drugs in the pipeline are not sufficient to counter the increasing resistance to current antimicrobials and maintain a strong arsenal of effective antimicrobials.

    Key messages on changing patterns in antimicrobial resistance

    • Antimicrobial resistance continues to rise as countries increasingly report high rates of resistance among antimicrobials used to treat common infections. Weighted average resistance levels are generally higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
    • Resistance to first-line antimicrobial agents is rapidly emerging among the pathogens that cause HIV, malaria, and typhoid fever, threatening global progress in eliminating these infectious diseases.
    • The Drug Resistance Index (DRI), which measures the average effectiveness of the set of antibiotics used to treat a given bacterial infection, is an effective tool for assessing and communicating trends in national AMR burden.
    • Higher Drug Resistance Index values in LMICs may reflect a relatively lower level of antibiotic effectiveness due to limited access to newer, more effective antibiotics, revealing where resistance poses a more significant problem.

    Key messages on Drivers of Resistance: Antibiotics in Human Healthcare

    • The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in the human health sector is a major driver of AMR.
    • Globally, the use of antimicrobials is accelerating worldwide, particularly in LMICs, as antimicrobials become readily accessible and affordable. The use of WHO Watch antibiotics increased 90.0% worldwide and 165% in LMICs between 2000 and 2015
    • Vaccines against many infectious agents are available, but low vaccination coverage, coupled with poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, leave many people vulnerable to infection and dependent on antibiotics for treatment.
    • Investments to increase vaccine coverage, develop WASH infrastructure, and implement antimicrobial stewardship in health facilities could mitigate AMR worldwide.

    Key messages on Drivers of Resistance: Antibiotics in Agriculture

    • The enormous increase in the demand for animal protein has rapidly increased the use of antimicrobials in the animal health sector, where these drugs are used not only to treat and prevent infection but also to promote rapid growth.
    • China and India represented the largest hotspots of resistance, with new hotspots emerging in Brazil and Kenya.
    • All countries need to develop and implement legislation and other policies to reduce the use of antibiotics in both terrestrial and aquatic food animals.

    Reference

    Aditi Sriram, Erta Kalanxhi, Geetanjali Kapoor, Jessica Craig, Ruchita Balasubramanian, Sehr Brar, Nicola Criscuolo, Alisa Hamilton, Eili Klein, Katie Tseng, Thomas Van Boeckel, Ramanan Laxminarayan. 2021. State of the world’s antibiotics 2021: A global analysis of antimicrobial resistance and its drivers. Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, Washington DC. Available at https://cddep.org/publications/the-state-of-the-worlds-antibiotic-in-2021/

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    Food system transformation in support of nature – Chatham research report

    Food system transformation in support of nature – Chatham research report

    by | Feb 17, 2021 | Ecosytem, My Write Ups, One Health

    Food system transformation in support of nature – Chatham research report

    The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Chatham House and Compassion in World Farming launched in partnership, a new Chatham House report, ‘Food System Impacts on Biodiversity Loss’ on February 2021. The report proposes three levers for food system transformation in support of nature:
    • to change dietary patterns to reduce food demand and encourage more plant-based diets.  Focusing only on, “growing ever more food” is detrimental to human health, biodiversity, and climate change. Focus to be in growing the right food in the right amounts and making the food system efficient by people consuming healthy diets which are sustainably produced and without waste.
    • to protect and set aside land for nature, whether through re-establishing native ecosystems on spared farmland or integrating pockets of natural habitat into farmland. Demand is not “fixed” and a simple function of the number of people i.e. we don’t need to grow ever more to “feed the world’s growing population” and to drive our consumption-based economies. We need to empower and enable people to eat healthily and sustainably.
    • to shift to more sustainable farming. Changing demand (and its incentives) is a key route to reduce the pressure on land and enable both land-for-nature and nature-friendly farming i.e. continuing to focus on promoting the production and consumption of calorie-rich diets will increase the rewards for both intensification and land conversion, at the expense of biodiversity.
    Recommendations 
    • Demand is a key lever that unlocks different options for farming practices and sparing land for nature (i.e. driving demand for economic growth drives intensification and makes it more difficult to both preserve natural land and farm sustainably)
    • Food is key for tackling biodiversity, climate and health
    • We need to link local action and international processes better (e.g. consumption-based accounting of impacts)

    The full report is available here: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss

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    Status of battery cage farming in Kenya

    Status of battery cage farming in Kenya

    by | Dec 8, 2020 | Animal Welfare, My Write Ups

    Status of battery cage farming in Kenya

    An assessment by the Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW) on the adoption of battery cages as a means of poultry production in Kenya revealed that their use is increasingly gaining popularity among small-scale peri-urban and urban farmers. The system was shown to have been adopted within close to half of the counties within Kenya with the target market being the urban populace. Despite the low adoption of the cage system with a majority of the poultry being raised under free-range, 41.26% of respondents indicated that a few elite farmers had already incorporated the use of battery cages further suggesting that the system is rapidly gaining popularity among other farmers. Key counties identified to have adopted the use of battery cages include Migori, Bungoma, Nyeri, Uasin Gishu, Isiolo, Busia, Kericho, TransNzoia, Kirinyaga, Embu, Bomet, Kiambu, Nyamira, Laikipia, Tana River, Kisii, Nakuru, Taita-Taveta, Meru, Homa Bay, Muranga, Machakos, Narok, Lamu, Kisumu, Elgeyo-Marakwet and Marsabit. It was identified that cognizance on poultry welfare issues associated with use of battery cages was low among farmers as well as businesspeople involved in the importation, sale, and supply of the cages.
    70.49% of county officials indicated that most battery cage suppliers and farmers are keen on profits and view animal welfare as a foreign concept.
    Consumer behavior especially their attitudes and preferences that affect buying behavior of products derived from poultry raised in battery cages was noted to be a less contributing factor as a criterion for purchase. 84.12% of county officials believe that consumers of poultry products raised under battery cage systems are not interested in the means of production nor the compromised welfare state of the birds. Consumers consider factors that include size, fat content, presentation of chicken, meat, and color of eggs. Consumers were mentioned to be ignorant of the origin of the products, the type of management system used to rear the birds, irresponsible use of antibiotics and growth promoters, the means of transportation used to deliver them to the market and general food safety.
    Finally, poultry welfare is not well articulated nor appreciated among consumers who are more fascinated by the end product rather than the means of production utilized.
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    Riyadh G20 Leaders Declaration

    Riyadh G20 Leaders Declaration

    by | Nov 23, 2020 | My Write Ups, One Health

    Riyadh G20 Leaders Declaration

    Leaders of the G20, on Sunday 22nd November 2020 asserted that they will:

    • Continue tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and zoonotic diseases based on the One-Health approach
    • Support and accelerate research and development (R&D) of new antimicrobials
    • Ensure access to existing antimicrobials, while enhancing their prudent stewardship
    • Maintain their efforts in tackling infectious and non-communicable diseases
    • Commit to advancing global pandemic preparedness, prevention, detection, and response
    • Continued supporting the G20 Initiative on Supporting the Industrialization in Africa and LDCs
    • Support tackling pressing environmental challenges, such as climate change and biodiversity loss
    • Endorse the G20 Riyadh Statement to Enhance Implementation of Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems
    • Reaffirm their commitment to tackling the challenges in food security and nutrition
    Click to read the full declaration

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