Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical environmental issue, emerging from the fractured metabolism of contemporary cities. Moving beyond the narrow biomedical ‘bugs and drugs’ paradigm, this paper reframes AMR as a failure of urban socio-ecological systems. We propose the concept of AMR as a political ecological pathology, where microbial resistance is a symptom of a diseased urban environment. Using Harare, Zimbabwe, as a paradigmatic case, we employ a structural tracing methodology to connect urban environmental degradation with biological outcomes. Our analysis traces a pathogenic circuit: colonial planning legacies and infrastructural decay produce a dysfunctional urban metabolism, characterised by broken water-sanitation systems and erratic waste flows. This environment sustains proliferating rodent populations and compels informal poultry farming, creating dense interfaces for microbial exchange. Concurrently, regulatory incongruence fosters unregulated antibiotic markets. The result is a perfect storm of selection pressure and transmission pathways, biologically inscribed in microbes like the multidrug-resistant Vibrio cholerae that caused Harare’s 2018-19 outbreak. We argue that techno-managerial solutions like antibiotic stewardship are palliative if the underlying environmental pathologies remain unaddressed. Effective AMR governance must therefore pivot towards ecological repair. This entails investing in water and sanitation infrastructure, co-designing sustainable urban agriculture with communities, and recognising informal actors as key partners in managing urban ecosystems. Tackling AMR is ultimately not just about managing drugs, but about healing the metabolic flows of our cities to create healthier environments for both humans and animals.
Presenters
Cliff ZinyembaPostdoctoral Researcher, The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe, Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Zimbabwe
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Ecology, Urban, Metabolism, Antimicrobial, Resistance, Environmental, Health, Waste, Political
