Irrational and inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics is a major problem that can lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Zambia, there is insufficient information on the prescribing patterns of antibiotics according to the World Health Organization (WHO) AWaRe classification. Therefore, this study assessed the prescribing patterns of antibiotics using the AWaRe classification during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. A cross-sectional study was conducted using 384 patient medical files at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, from August 2022 to September 2022. All antibiotics were classified according to the WHO “AWaRe” tool and assessed for appropriateness using the 2020 Zambian Standard Treatment Guidelines. Of the 384 patient medical files reviewed, antibiotics were prescribed 443 times. The most prescribed antibiotics were ceftriaxone (26.6%), metronidazole (22.6%), amoxicillin (10.4%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (5.6%), and azithromycin (5%). The prescribing of 42.1% of “Watch” group antibiotics was greater than the recommended threshold by the WHO. Most antibiotics were prescribed for respiratory infections (26.3%) and gastrointestinal tract infections (16.4%). The most prescribed antibiotic was ceftriaxone, a Watch antibiotic. This is a worrisome observation and calls for strengthened antimicrobial stewardship and implementation of the AWaRe framework in prescribing antibiotics.

Globally, the inappropriate dispensing and use of antibiotics in animals has contributed to the development of bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Zambia, there is insufficient information among community pharmacy professionals on antibiotic use (ABU) and AMR in food-producing animals. This study assessed community pharmacy professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding poultry antibiotic dispensing, use, and bacterial AMR in the Lusaka district of Zambia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 178 community pharmacy professionals between February and April 2022 using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Stata version 17. Of the total participants (n = 178), 51.1% (n = 91) were pharmacists. The most dispensed antibiotic was oxytetracycline, a Watch antibiotic, mainly without prescriptions. Good knowledge of ABU and AMR was associated with work experience for more than one year (p = 0.016), while good practices were associated with male gender (p = 0.039) and work experience of more than one year (p = 0.011). The study found moderate knowledge, positive attitudes, and moderate practices of pharmacy professionals on poultry ABU and AMR. There was high dispensing of poultry antibiotics without prescriptions, which calls for strict implementation of antimicrobial stewardship and surveillance programs in poultry production in Zambia to reduce AMR.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory tract infection that emerged from China in December 2019 and is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Due to the airborne nature of its transmission, COVID-19 spread to the rest of the world rapidly. Thus, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. This paper evaluated the factors that lead to self-medication in people suffering from respiratory tract infections such as COVID-19, and the consequences of practicing self-medication using antimicrobial agents. Most of the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 are also seen in infections such as malaria, flu, and the common cold. For this reason, and also due to poor healthcare-seeking behaviour, most people tend to self-medicate using medicines that are known to be effective against malaria, common cold, and COVID-19. Among the commonly used medicines in the practice of self-medication include antibacterials, antimalarials, and antivirals. Some vitamins such as vitamin C boost the immune system enabling it to provide effective defence mechanisms against microbes. However, self-medication may pose consequences such as the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, hypersensitivity reactions as well as dose-dependent toxicities viz dermatoxicity, cardiotoxicity, and hepatoxicity. Infectious diseases caused by antimicrobial-resistant microbes are difficult and, in some instances, impossible to treat thereby leading to increased morbidity and mortality among infected people. Consequently, antimicrobial resistance poses another global public health problem and requires a multisectoral approach to curb. It is our recommendation that all governments ensure that there are adequate medicines and efficient human resources in healthcare facilities as well as sufficient public awareness to prevent people from seeking self-medication.

Adolescents and youths are a key part of the population that needs to be protected against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This is because they are more likely to spread the virus to vulnerable individuals. In view of these concerns, this study investigated the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and associated factors among adolescents and youths attending secondary schools in Zambia. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1500 school-going adolescents in Lusaka from September 2022 to November 2022. Overall, 1409 participants took part giving a response rate of 94%. Only 29.2% (n = 411) of the participants were vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of the study. Compared to their unvaccinated counterparts, vaccinated adolescents and youths scored higher for knowledge (66.2% vs 57.8%) and attitudes (76.7% vs 39.4%) regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Healthcare workers, family/friends and social media were key sources of information regarding the vaccine. Factors associated with increased vaccine uptake were positive attitudes (AOR = 33.62, 95% CI: 19.92–56.73), indicating it was stressful to follow COVID-19 preventive measures (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.09–1.99), participants in Grade 12 (AOR = 3.39, 95% CI: 1.94–5.91), Grade 11 (AOR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.94–5.91), Grade 10 (AOR = 3.48, 95% CI: 1.98–6.11) and Grade 9 (AOR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.74–5.32) compared to Grade 8. This study found a relatively low uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among adolescents and youths in Zambia. There is a need to provide adequate strategies to address knowledge and attitude gaps regarding COVID-19 vaccines to improve uptake and reduce future morbidity and mortality.

AimThis study aimed to assess the awareness and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and associated factors among pharmacy studentsin Zambia.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among 326 undergraduate pharmacy students in Lusaka, Zambia, from February to April 2021.Data were analysed using Stata version 16.1. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine key factors influencing vaccineacceptance.ResultsOf the 326 participants, 98.8% were aware of the COVID-19 vaccines, but only 24.5% would accept vaccination. Compared to otherreligions, being of Christian faith was associated with reduced odds of awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine (aOR=0.01, 95% CI:0.01-0.20). Conversely, factors associated with vaccine acceptance were being male, single and unemployed. Compared to females,male respondents were 86% more likely to accept the vaccine if it was made available (aOR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.10-3.14). In addition,unmarried respondents were 2.65 times as likely to accept vaccination than married respondents (aOR=2.65, 95% CI: 1.06-6.63).Conversely, unemployed respondents were less likely to accept vaccination than their employed counterparts (aOR=0.32, 95% CI:0.16-0.46). Barriers to the acceptability of the vaccine were possible side effects (78.5%) and scepticism about its effectiveness(10.2%).ConclusionThere was significant vaccine hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccines among Zambian pharmacy students despite their awarenessof the vaccines. Health authorities must work collaboratively with training institutions to mitigate vaccine hesitancy, especially withhealthcare students being a key part of the future healthcare workforce overseeing disease prevention strategies.

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are critical in preventing the risk of acquiring and transmitting nosocomial infections. In Zambia, there is little information concerning IPC practices among pharmacy students who are exposed to potentially infectious areas both in public and private healthcare settings. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices of undergraduate pharmacy students toward infection prevention and control at the University of Zambia. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 290 undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Zambia using a structured questionnaire from August 2022 to October 2022. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25.0, and statistical significance was set at a 95% confidence level. Results: Of the 290 participants, 166(57.2%) were female and the majority were aged between 18 and 23 years. Overall, 252(86.9%) had good knowledge, 167(57.6%) had positive attitudes, and 248(85.5%) had good practices toward IPC measures. These results indicate lower attitude scores compared to knowledge and practices. Having good knowledge of IPC was associated with being a Christian by religion compared to other religions (OR = 5.314, 95% CI: 1.141–24.745). There was no association between sociodemographics and attitude and practice concerning IPC. Conclusion: This study found that pharmacy students had good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices toward IPC measures. Consequently, more emphasis is needed to improve the student’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward IPC, especially in areas where gaps were identified. Additionally, there is a need to improve curricula on IPC measures in the training of pharmacy programs.