From 18 – 24 November, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week will be observed to highlight the need for a global response to antimicrobial resistance.
This awareness campaign draws attention to the programmes for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that depend on medicines to help hundreds of millions of people around the world. These medicines are currently effective, but the possibility of drug resistance means that the programmes in place are under threat.
To make sure that antimicrobials currently in use continue to be effective in the treatment of NTDs, any sign of drug resistance must be documented and monitored. This information will help limit the impact of the drug resistance and assist in the development of second-line drugs to treat the NTD in question.
This year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the World Health Organisation made the decision to change the focus of the awareness campaign. The focus on ‘antibiotics’ was changed to ‘antimicrobials’ in order to increase awareness of worldwide antimicrobial resistance. The change in focus aims to limit both the emergence of drug-resistant infections and the spread of such diseases.
The broader scope of the awareness campaign aims to promote a global response, especially as a One Health approach invites multiple sectors to come together to achieve improved public health outcomes.
The theme of this year’s World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is ‘United to preserve antimicrobials’.
A webinar on best practices concerning the emergence of drug-resistant infections will take place on 24 November from 14:00 to 16:00 CET. This webinar is presented in collaboration with the WHO’s Department of Global Coordination and Partnership.
