The development of antibiotics was one of the most important advances of medicine. Now, because of the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, bacterial infections that were once easily cured with antibiotics are becoming harder to treat. This is because bacteria have developed antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently labelled antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest threats to public health today.
Australians use a LOT of antibiotics
This Antibiotic Awareness Week Australia’s National Prescribing Service is asking people to imagine a world without effective antibiotics. One where simple infections could be life threatening and surgical procedures that we take for granted would be high-risk. At the moment in Australia, we’re part way through a five year campaign to reduce prescribing of antibiotics by 25% which will bring us in line with OECD averages, and you are a big part of helping to achieve this.
Read how you can help
If you are a health professional, take the Health Professional pledge.
Thailand Antibiotic Awareness Day Conference will be held in Bangkok on November 18.
The Thai HAIAP partners have been very involved in community activities leading up to the conference and will be making a major contribution to the conference.
For more information go to
https://www.facebook.com/thai.antibiotic.awareness?fref=photo
Some of the content is available in english.
Have a look at this youtube video to see HAIAP Governing Council member Dr Niyada Kiatying-Angsulee working in the community to create awareness about the right use of antibiotics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WTyCcXNgOk
The Flash Mob from last year’s Antibiotic Awareness Day can be seen here
Philippines
This year, the Philippine President passed an administrative order creating an inter-agency department for Anti Microbial Resistance – not just the Department of Health, but for the whole of government. Now the government is planning for a strong intersectoral response for addressing AMR. Click here to see the administrative order.