NIMR Warns of Rising Resistance to Third-Generation Antibiotics in Nigeria
The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has expressed growing concern over high-level resistance to third-generation antibiotics, particularly cephalosporins — a class of drugs widely used to treat severe infections when earlier antibiotics fail.
Dr. Emelda Chukwu, a Senior Researcher at NIMR, highlighted the issue during a media engagement aimed at updating the public on ongoing research efforts.
According to her, third-generation cephalosporins are broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics reserved for serious infections that do not respond to first- and second-generation drugs. The increasing resistance to these critical medicines signals a troubling shift in antimicrobial effectiveness.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), she explained, occurs when microorganisms evolve or mutate in ways that render antibiotics ineffective. This phenomenon threatens to reverse decades of medical progress in infection control and treatment.
NIMR’s research team, applying a One Health framework that recognises the interconnectedness of humans, animals and the environment, conducted surveillance across four healthcare facilities serving as sentinel sites. The findings revealed a significant level of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins among hospitalised patients with various infections.
“AMR is one of the major pressing global health threats. We are now seeing high levels of resistance such that these organisms are no longer responding to medicines that are supposed to kill them,” Dr. Chukwu stated. She described the emergence of resistance to reserve antibiotics as “alarming.”
She attributed the trend partly to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, including self-medication and improper prescriptions, which accelerate resistance patterns.
Beyond clinical surveillance, the research team has also developed a structured wastewater monitoring system designed to serve as an early warning mechanism. Environmental and wastewater surveillance can help detect epidemic- or pandemic-prone pathogens before they escalate into widespread outbreaks.
BRANDECONOMY Insight
The rise in resistance to third-generation antibiotics is not merely a medical issue — it carries significant economic and national security implications.
Three strategic dimensions deserve attention:
- Healthcare Cost Escalation
As first-line and reserve antibiotics lose effectiveness, treatment becomes more complex and expensive. Longer hospital stays, additional diagnostics and alternative therapies increase healthcare expenditure for both households and government systems. - Productivity and Economic Risk
Untreated or drug-resistant infections can reduce workforce productivity, strain health infrastructure and increase mortality risk. For a developing economy, AMR threatens both human capital and macroeconomic stability. - Preventive Surveillance as Strategic Infrastructure
NIMR’s wastewater surveillance model reflects a forward-looking public health strategy. Early pathogen detection systems can function as biological intelligence networks, reducing outbreak response costs and protecting economic activity.
Addressing antimicrobial resistance will require coordinated regulation of antibiotic use, stronger prescription enforcement, public awareness campaigns and investment in research and laboratory capacity.
If unchecked, AMR could undermine decades of healthcare gains and impose long-term economic burdens.
The challenge now is translating scientific warnings into policy discipline, behavioural change and sustained funding.
