Each year during November 18-24, U.S. healthcare professionals observe U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week. This year’s theme is “Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Takes All of Us.” It makes clear that everyone has a role to play in this vitally important public health effort. This observance reminds us to raise awareness about:
- The importance of appropriate antibiotic and antifungal use.
- The threat antimicrobial resistance poses to people, animals, plants and their shared environment.
Antimicrobial resistance happens when germs can defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs are not killed and continue to grow. Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent global public health threat. It causes over 1.27 million deaths around the world and nearly 35,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
Antimicrobial resistance can affect anyone, anywhere, at any stage of life. Antimicrobial-resistant germs can spread rapidly across the globe. It can also spread in healthcare facilities, our community, environment and food supply.
Appropriate use of antibiotic and antifungal drugs helps improve patient outcomes. It optimizes the treatment of infections and avoids drug-related side effects. It slows the development of antimicrobial resistance.
Preventing infections is our first line of defense against antimicrobial resistance. We can prevent infections and the spread of antimicrobial resistance with:
- access to clean water,
- access to quality health care,
- adequate sanitation,
- vaccine coverage and
- improved antibiotic and antifungal use.
Many medical advances are dependent on the ability to fight infections using antibiotics:
- joint replacements,
- organ transplants,
- cancer therapy and
- the treatment of chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis.
If antibiotics or antifungals aren’t effective, we can’t treat infections. Here are some simple steps we can all take to fight antimicrobial resistance:
- Take antibiotics ONLY when you need them.
- Realize that antibiotics DO NOT work on viruses.
- Remember that antibiotics WILL NOT make you feel better if you have a virus.
- Take antibiotics exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
- Talk to a healthcare provider about side effects of antibiotics.
- Stay healthy and keep others healthy through regular handwashing, staying home if you’re sick and covering your coughs and sneezes.