Brazzaville—Health officials from the Republic of the Congo and World Health Organization (WHO) experts today conducted a simulation exercise on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), making the country the first in the region to host such an activity to provide practical, hands-on experience on assessing how well countries can detect, report and respond to drug-resistant infections.

The simulation placed the experts—drawn from human and animal health sectors—in a realistic scenario: a sudden outbreak caused by a dangerous, multidrug-resistant pathogen. Participants must work together to track suspicious cases, confirm the pathogen in the laboratory, share data quickly and coordinate across sectors to protect communities. The exercise is to help countries understand how well their systems work under pressure, revealing what is functioning effectively and where improvements are urgently needed.

During the exercise, participants mapped out who does what during an AMR event: which institutions detect cases, who reports them, how data move between laboratories and health authorities, and how decisions are made. This supports countries to align their systems with WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance/Use Surveillance System (GLASS) and strengthens collaboration under the One Health approach.

The lessons will feed into national improvement plans and support the implementation of existing national action plans on AMR. 

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolve to resist medicines that once treated them effectively. As these infections become harder to cure, everyday illnesses become life-threatening. For countries across Africa, where access to laboratories and surveillance systems can be limited, preparing for AMR is essential to protecting lives.

Congo was selected as the pilot country because it reflects many of the challenges facing the region: an increase in drug-resistant infections, widespread and often unregulated use of antimicrobials, and limited laboratory and disease surveillance capacity. While Congo has a validated national AMR plan, it has not yet been fully implemented and AMR is not integrated into the national Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system.

Sub-Saharan Africa currently experiences the highest AMR-related mortality in the world. Every year, an estimated 1.14 million deaths in the region are directly caused by AMR, with an additional 4.71 million associated deaths. Without stronger systems for preventing, detecting and responding to resistant infections, deaths could rise to nearly 2 million annually by 2050.

The simulation in Congo contributes to global and regional strategies, including the UN Political Declaration on AMR, WHO’s Strategic and Operational Priorities for 2025–2035 and the Regional strategy for accelerating the implementation and monitoring of national action plans on AMR (2023–2030) in the WHO African Region. It also strengthens the role of WHO Country Offices in supporting national preparedness and response.

As the first African country to conduct an AMR simulation exercise, Congo is paving the way for other countries to follow. The insights gained will inform future exercises, support stronger surveillance systems across the region and contribute to global efforts to safeguard the effectiveness of life-saving medicines.