March 10, 2021
The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in collaboration with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is developing African Antibiotic Treatment Guidelines for Common Bacterial Infections and Syndromes (First Edition) for publication in 2021.
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide healthcare workers across the African continent with expert recommendations for antimicrobial selection, dosage, and duration of treatment for common bacterial infections and syndromes among pediatric and adult patient populations and to promote the appropriate use of antimicrobials to mitigate the emergence and spread of AMR pathogens. The guidelines were based on a review of existing national standard or clinical treatment guidelines, available AMR data, and clinical expertise from an international group of physicians, pharmacists, and other clinicians involved in the treatment of infectious diseases. The treatment recommendations are intended to complement existing national and international clinical treatment guidelines, where available, and to provide a template for local adaption in their absence. The guidelines are intended for use by clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other personnel involved in the treatment of infectious diseases or dispensing of antimicrobials in Africa.
CDDEP and Africa CDC are calling on qualified healthcare providers, researchers, laboratory staff, or pharmacists with experience diagnosing infectious diseases and prescribing antimicrobial therapies to serve as members of the External Review Group. The purpose of the external review is to ensure that the proposed guidance is appropriate, feasible, and accessible to healthcare workers and other relevant guideline users in Africa.
The External Review Group will be tasked with reviewing the African Antibiotic Treatment Guidelines for Common Bacterial Infections and Syndromes for adult and pediatric patient populations and providing feedback on clinical content including on the availability of suggested antimicrobial selection, dosage, and treatment duration and on the clinical case definitions, principles of stewardship, and other clinical notes that accompany each treatment recommendation. Participants must currently or previously have lived and worked in any Africa Union member state. Participants may provide input on either the adult or pediatric guidelines or both according to their expertise and clinical experience. Further instructions and documents (in English and French) for review are available through the Africa CDC website here. The deadline for input submission will be April 30, 2021.
