World Antibiotic Awareness Week: Future of Antibiotics Depends on All of Us

World Antibiotic Awareness Week is celebrated on 18th - 24th November 2019. It raises awareness about antibiotics and the importance of preventing the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.

Highlights:

World Antibiotic Awareness Week is celebrated on 18^th - 24^th November 2019
It aims to raise awareness about the importance of antibiotics and prevention of antibiotic resistance
Judicious use of antibiotics will help to save millions of lives worldwide

World Antibiotic Awareness Week is celebrated on 18^th - 24^th November 2019. It aims to raise awareness about the rapidly worsening situation arising from the spread of antibiotic resistance, which poses a highly serious threat to public health globally.

Antibiotics are crucial tools for treating a large number of infectious diseases. However, the rapid emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance seriously undermines the ability of nations to fight these infections.

The importance of antibiotics is underscored by the fact that if a person develops a deadly infection that can’t be treated due to the unavailability of antibiotics, then the person will simply die!

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Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health concern that has reached gigantic proportions. Antibiotic resistance is a change that occurs in bacteria when they are exposed to antibiotics used to treat infections caused by them. This change makes the antibiotics ineffective and the antibiotic-resistant bacteria become “superbugs”.

‘World Antibiotic Awareness Week is celebrated on 18th - 24th November 2019. It raises awareness about the life-saving role played by antibiotics and the importance of preventing the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.’
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Objectives of World Antibiotic Awareness Week

Raise awareness about antibiotics
Spread the message about the global threat of antibiotic resistance
Encourage best practices among doctors, patients, and the general public to halt the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance
Promote safe use of antibiotics through communication, education and training

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History of World Antibiotic Awareness Week

World Antibiotic Awareness Week was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May, 2015 for prioritizing strategies to tackle antibiotic resistance, which is a global public health threat. This global action plan, formulated by WHO, was endorsed by the 68^th World Health Assembly in May 2015.

The major milestones in scientific discovery that led up to the establishment of World Antibiotic Awareness Week go back over a century, which is highlighted below:

1895: Louis Pasteur discovers the antibacterial properties of mold
1907: Paul Erhlich develops the first synthetic antibiotic ‘Salvarsan’
1928: Sir Alexander Fleming discovers ‘Penicillin’
1945: Sir Alexander Fleming wins the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Ernst Chain and Howard Florey
1945-1947: Discovery of the antibiotics cephalosporins, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, colistin, and aminoglycosides
1950’s: Discovery of macrolides and chemical synthesis of quinolones, as well as the emergence of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureaus)

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Antibiotics: Facts & Figures

Antibiotics should be taken as prescribed by the doctor
Antibiotics should never be shared with family or friends
Antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections such as cold and flu
Colistin and carbapenems are the last-line antibiotics when all others fail
75 percent of antibiotic-resistant cases are due to hospital-acquired infections (HAI)
33,000 deaths occur annually due to antibiotic-resistant infections
Highest burden of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

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Key Aspects of Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance arises when bacteria develop the ability to resist the action of antibiotics that would otherwise kill them. As a result, the number of antibiotics capable of treating life-threatening infections becomes severely limited.

WHO describes antibiotic resistance in the following way: “Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines. Bacteria, not humans or animals, become antibiotic-resistant.”

There are currently 16 species of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, the most notorious of which is the Indian strain called NDM-1. This was first detected in New Delhi and hence called New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase-1 (NDM-1). NDM-1 is an enzyme that makes bacteria resistant to a wide range of beta-lactam antibiotics.

Vaccination prevents infections, thereby slowing down the spread of antibiotic resistance. Correct hand hygiene can prevent infections and reduce the chances of antibiotic resistance

Ways to Participate in the World Antibiotic Awareness Week Celebrations

Some of the ways to participate in the celebrations are briefly highlighted below:

Sharing messages, images, animated graphics, and videos on social media to spread the message about the global antibiotic resistance crisis
Organizing popular lectures for school and college students to sensitize them about the importance of hand hygiene, infection control, and prudent use of antibiotics
Disseminating information through handouts and posters about the vital importance of antibiotics and why these life-saving drugs need to be preserved for future generations
Playing informative videos on the topic of antibiotics in clinics, pharmacies, waiting rooms or lobbies to enlighten patients and their families
Organizing debates and panel discussions to ignite healthy discussions and explore diverse opinions about antibiotics

WHO’s Strategies for Tackling Antibiotic Resistance

There is still time to turn the tide of antibiotic resistance and ensure that they retain their efficacy in the future. WHO has formulated the following strategies for tackling antibiotic resistance:

Generating awareness about the life-saving role played by antibiotics
Reducing infections, especially hospital-acquired infections (HAI)
Increasing surveillance to monitor the emergence of antibiotic resistance
Using antibiotics judiciously to prevent the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance
Committing to sustainable investments for tackling antibiotic resistance
Promoting research to develop new antibiotics with a novel mechanism of action

Health Tips for Preventing Antibiotic Resistance

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance can be prevented by reducing the risk of infections in the following ways:

Using antibiotics prudently and only when they are absolutely necessary
Frequent handwashing with soap and water
Cleaning and covering open wounds with a bandage
Preparing food hygienically
Avoiding contact with infected people
Keeping the home environment clean and healthy
Practicing safe sex
Being vaccinated against all relevant vaccine-preventable diseases
Ensuring access to safe water and sanitation
Not sharing antibiotics with other people

Conclusion

From the foregoing discussion, it goes without saying that antibiotic resistance poses the greatest threat to global health. Everyone has a role to play in preventing the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, including doctors, patients, nurses, pharmacists, veterinarians, farmers, and policymakers.

Most importantly, improving prescription habits of doctors, stopping the sale of antibiotics without prescriptions, and educating patients about the dangers of misusing antibiotics will go a long way towards fighting antibiotic resistance and ensuring that these life-saving drugs remain available for future generations.

References:

World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019 - (https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-antibiotic-awareness-week/world-antibiotic-awareness-week-2019/landing)
Health Days 2019: World Antibiotic Awareness Week - (https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/HealthAwareness/healthDay/2019/Pages/HealthDay-2019-11-13-19.aspx)
World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019: The Future of Antibiotics Depends on All of Us - (https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15537:world-antibiotic-awareness-week-2019&Itemid=42091&lang=en)
Ten Important Moments in the History of Antibiotic Discovery - (https://correctiv.org/en/latest-stories/super-bugs/2017/07/03/ten-important-moments-in-the-history-of-antibiotic-discovery)

Source-Medindia