There are no alarms when bacteria begins to resist medicines, and no visible warnings when a once simple infection becomes harder to treat.
Yet across Barbados, professionals in medicine, agriculture, environmental health and marine science are seeing signs that call for urgent cooperation.
Antimicrobial resistance, known as AMR, is often described as a quiet emergency and the shared solution is the One Health approach, a framework that recognises that human health, animal health and environmental health are deeply connected.
Senior lecturer in microbiology, Dr Marquita Gittens St Hilaire, described One Health as “the only lens that makes sense for small island states like Barbados”.
Interconnected
She explained that “humans, animals, plants and the environment are interconnected, and what happens in one area ultimately affects the others”.
In her view, AMR is a national issue that cannot be addressed one sector at a time.
“We have to act as one country, not separate systems,” she said.
Medical officer, Dr Leslie Rollock, has witnessed the changing landscape of AMR first-hand. She points to gonorrhoea as a clear example of the growing challenge.
“We are seeing resistance of some sexually-transmitted infections such as gonococcal infection to penicillinbased antibiotics and decreasing sensitivity to the newer treatments,” she explained.
What once responded to straightforward treatment now requires more careful management.
Rollock said the misuse of antibiotics continues to worsen the situation.
“People still believe antibiotics cure everything, and they do not. Antibiotics do not work for colds, and they do not work for the flu,” she said.
She emphasised that Barbadians must avoid pressuring doctors for antibiotics and use prescriptions exactly as directed.
“Responsible use protects the entire community,” she explained.
Senior environmental protection officer, Carlon Worrell, described the environment as the “silent driver” of resistance. He warned that AMR spreads easily through what people release into soil, drains and water systems.
“Waste streams carry antibiotic residues, resistant organisms and resistant genes into soil and water,” he explained.
“These become reservoirs of resistance.”
He added that antibiotics flushed into wastewater do not disappear.
“Low levels of antibiotics in wastewater are not strong enough to kill bacteria. They actually encourage bacteria to adapt,” he said.
Worrell believes households have a crucial role to play.
“Proper disposal of medications, good septic maintenance and support for responsible waste management all help reduce contamination,” he said.
“These small actions protect our national water supply.” ( BGIS)
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