Hyderabad: World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is observed from November 18th to 24th every year with the aim of organizing various discussions and campaigns to inform the common people around the world regarding antimicrobial resistance or resistance to antibiotics and the issues that can be caused by them.
Doctors usually prescribe antibiotics to treat or prevent certain types of bacterial infections. But most people are aware that antibiotics should be used only after consulting a doctor. In fact, unnecessary and repeated use of antibiotics can have adverse effects on health. At the same time, repeated use of antibiotics can sometimes increase drug resistance to these medicines in the body, which can also become the cause of serious conditions during diseases.
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is observed from November 18th to 24th with the objective of discussing related topics, spreading awareness globally about the correct use of antibiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and educating the general public and health workers to control drug-resistant infections every year, creating a platform and encouraging people to formulate and implement new policies for the correct use of antibiotics. In the year 2022, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is being observed with the theme “Preventing Anti-Microbial Resistance Together”, along with the "Go Blue Campaign" being run by the World Health Organization for this event.
Antibiotics have saved the lives of billions of people and improved their health, but in the last few years, there has been increasing drug resistance among people regarding these medicines. It is believed that if the resistance of people to these medicines increases, then there may be problems in the treatment of many common and complex diseases. At the same time, challenges can also increase for doctors in terms of treatment. Apparently, more than seven lakh people die due to Antimicrobial Resistance.
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According to the World Health Organisation, Antimicrobial Resistance or AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to drugs. Due to this, the treatment of infection becomes difficult, while at times the risk of serious illness also increases. Keeping all these issues in mind and recognizing the need to increase awareness among the common people about antibiotic resistance, the World Health Organization started observing World Antibiotic Awareness Week / World Antimicrobial Awareness Week in 2015. This initiative was taken after the European government made an action plan on antibiotic resistance in the year 2011.
In May 2015, the Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly endorsed a global action plan to address the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. One of the main objectives of which was also to improve the awareness and understanding of "AMR" among people through effective communication. Since then, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is observed every year as a global campaign. On the occasion of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, various campaigns are organized to improve awareness and understanding of AMR and to invite and provide a platform for discussions in this regard among the general public, health professionals and policymakers.
In 2022, along with all the campaigns, the World Health Organization has also set a colour for this event. “Go Blue Campaign” is being organized by the organization this year, under which people have been appealed to wear light blue clothes while participating in the programs related to the awareness week. Apart from this, the general public is urged to adjust their social media profiles to blue colour, to inspire their friends, family and colleagues to do the same, to post their own or group photos on social media wearing blue colour so that information and awareness in this regard can be spread to the masses.
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week plays an important role in creating awareness and policy-making to address the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics. For this, a global action plan is followed every year. This awareness week not just provides an opportunity to organize awareness campaigns on drug resistance and the problems arising due to it, but it also basically motivates people to know more about the basic principles of antibiotics and how to deal with them. It also inspires people to organize programs and experiments for research and gathering more information.
