This week marks the start of World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2023 (18-24 November).
According to the World Health Organisation, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to global health. Drug-resistant infections killed 1.25 million people in worldwide in 2019, including 141,000 patients in high income countries like the UK. This is estimated to rise to 10 million deaths per year by 2050 if we don’t act now.
Antibiotics kill bacteria or prevent them from spreading, but because bacteria adapt to survive, these medicines are becoming less effective.
If antibiotics stop working, this might stop us from carrying out common healthcare activities such as major operations or cancer treatments where infections are common. We need effective antibiotics to prevent them. We may see more premature babies, children and adults on intensive care dying from infections.
A growing number of infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, and salmonellosis are becoming harder to treat as the antibiotics used to treat them are becoming less effective.
That’s why reducing antibiotic use and antibiotic resistant infections is one of West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership’s ten big ambitions. We need the support of all who live and work here to achieve that goal.
Ways you can help avoid antimicrobial resistance:
- Don’t use antibiotics to treat viral infections, such as flu, the common cold, a runny nose or a sore throat. Find out more about common infections, symptoms and treatment here.
- Only use antibiotics when a healthcare professional such as a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist prescribes them.
- Always take antibiotics as prescribed
- Do not save unused antibiotics or share them with friends and family.
- Take any unused antibiotics to a local pharmacy.
- Prevent infections by regularly washing hands, preparing food hygienically, avoiding close contact with sick people, practising safer sex, and keeping vaccinations up to date.
- Become an antibiotic guardian. Choose one simple pledge about how you’ll make better use of antibiotics and help save these vital medicines https://antibioticguardian.com/
- Visit the Seriously Resistant website to find out more and help spread the word with your family and friends. Seriously is a West Yorkshire campaign developedto help raise awareness of AMR and how you can help tackle it.
- Watch and share these NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board videos about the importance of preventing infection, and helping people need fewer antibiotics – AMR Animations