November 18th is European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD), the annual European health initiative to support and promote the prudent use of antibiotics.
It is important to increase awareness about the risks of antimicrobial resistance as a global public health threat.
“Antimicrobial resistance is a silent pandemic that could have disastrous consequences for modern medicine. We need to act now to preserve antibiotics.” said Emer Cooke, EMA’s Executive Director. “At EMA, our experts are working relentlessly to ensure that effective antibiotics against infectious diseases in people and animals remain available to everyone in the EU.”
To mark this year’s EAAD, EMA launched a social media campaign to highlight the importance of using antibiotics prudently.
A collection of info-cards focuses on what patients, healthcare professionals, veterinarians, public health leaders and the pharmaceutical industry in their respective roles can do daily to make sure that these important medicines remain available as effective treatments for EU patients.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria and other microorganisms change over time and develop resistance to medicines. As a result, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become less effective. Overuse or misuse of antibiotic can exacerbate the situation. Infections caused by resistant bacteria are more difficult to treat. They require more care as well as alternative and more expensive antibiotics, which may have more severe side effects. A prudent use of antibiotics can help to slow the process and ensure that treatments continue to be available to treat common and emerging diseases caused by bacteria.
For more information on EMA’s role in the global response to antimicrobial resistance, visit Antimicrobial resistance.
Follow the Agency on Twitter and LinkedIn to see the campaign.
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