Twelve national research participants completed the third module of the Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative  (SORT IT) to help in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Sierra Leone. The participants consisting of medical doctors, nurses and other public health professionals were selected from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS), Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) representing all sectors across the One Health platform. SORT IT is a global partnership coordinated by a Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases or TDR, Co-sponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and WHO.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the biggest threat to the effective prevention and treatment of a range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi. Accounting for 700,000 deaths annually. Experts predict that antimicrobial resistance could result in 10 million deaths annually by 2050.

The SORT IT approach targets participants such as doctors, nurses, paramedical officers, data analysts, and programme officers, with little or no prior research experience. The participants undergo training using a relevant research project to learn the practical skills of how to write a study protocol and ensure quality assured data is captured and analyzed. Participants also learn how to publish in a peer-reviewed journal and use the study findings to foster informed public health decision-making. Participants are required to achieve set milestones to move from one stage to the next. Hands-on mentorship is provided by experienced mentors.

During the opening ceremony the WHO Representative in Sierra Leone Dr. Steven Shongwe said, “The stakes are high and humanity across the world will suffer as AMR will reverse the gains made by public health and clinical medicine over the past years. AMR also threatens livelihood by affecting food chains and sustainable development goals”. Dr. Shongwe thanked the SORT IT partners for implementing the training in Sierra Leone and encouraged the trainees to make the best use of the opportunity.

The training coordinator Dr. Rony Zacharia presented overview of module three and encouraged research participants to dedicate their time for the week to work closely with their mentors and produce data rich research papers by the end of the module.

Charlotte Seeley Musgrave of the Department of Health and Social Care, National Institute of Health Research, highlighted the burden of AMR and the need for research to provide evidence to combat AMR globally.  Charlotte reaffirmed the commitment of the UK Government to fund AMR research.

Dr. Ibrahim Franklyn Kamara, AMR Research Fellow participated in the training and expressed gratitude to the mentors and implementing partners, “Sierra Leone like many other parts of the world has limited data on AMR, antimicrobials consumption and/or use which makes it difficult to prioritize interventions that will reduce the burden of AMR in the country. Hence, improving local capacity is an important step in tackling the challenges associated with AMR".

As emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases outbreaks are becoming more frequent, we should better prepare to prevent the silent AMR pandemic. I am happy to have supported and participated in this training and gained knowledge and skills to  generate evidence that has implications on policies and practices”, he said.

Anna Maruta, AMR/IPC Lead at WHO Sierra Leone expressed her thoughts about the significance of the training to combat AMR in Sierra Leone : “Given the global threat posed by AMR with many interconnected causes including the inappropriate use of antimicrobials, lack of proper surveillance systems, poor infection prevention and control, practices and weak diagnostic capacity, SORT IT is being used to build operational research (OR) capacity that will generate and promote use of evidence on the emergence, spread and health impact of AMR  in tackling this global problem” said Anna.

The implementation of the SORT IT training on AMR will enhance the gathering of data that will be used to tackle this surging global public health emergency.