World Antibiotic Awareness Week is celebrated every year in the month of November to spread awareness about antibiotics. The week is basically meant to spread awareness regarding the importance of antibiotic resistance. The antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines.

(People Also Like To Read: World Thalassemia Day 2018)

World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) also aims to encourage best practices among the health workers, the general public, and policymakers to avoid the additional emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.

Since the discovery of these antibiotics, they have served as the foundation of modern medicine. However, the persistent misuse and overuse of antibiotics in human and animal health have supported the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, which occurs when microbes like bacteria, become more resistant to the drugs used to treat them.

Antibiotics are the medicines made to fight against infections, are becoming less effective due to over-prescribing physicians, dentists, veterinarians, and their misuse by agronomists and farmers. Thus the resulting resistance has become a global health emergency leading the UN General Assembly to include antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a priority health issue to be tackled besides responses to other diseases like HIV and Ebola.

Image Source: WHO

What is the Significance and Theme of the World Antibiotic Awareness Week?

The theme of the World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) is to provide excellent flexibility to countries in terms of reflecting their priorities regarding the antibiotic resistance as well as to enable them to increase awareness about antibiotic resistance.

As part of the World Antibiotic Awareness Week, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed banners, posters, and infographics every year to focus on educating people about antibiotics, antibiotics resistance, and misuse of antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance is seriously high in all parts of the world. Infections like pneumonia, foodborne diseases, and tuberculosis have become difficult to treat because of antibiotic resistance.

(You Might Also Like To Read: World Obesity Day 2018)

How You Can Prevent Antibiotic Resistance?

An effective way of preventing the antibiotic resistance is by using antibiotics only when these medicines are prescribed by doctors. A person can also avoid taking antibiotics if so has been suggested by your doctor. Some small habitual changes like washing hands regularly, avoiding close contact with unwell people, keeping your vaccinations up to date, and practicing safe sex is an effective way to reduce antibiotic resistance.

One of the best ways to prevent antibiotic resistance is to prepare your food hygienically, by keeping them clean, cooking food thoroughly, and keeping food at safe temperatures. For cooking make sure you use clean and safe water and with fresh raw materials. Also, it is important to consume only those foods which are produced without the use of antibiotics.

(People Also Like To Read: Sydenham’s Chorea: Everything Related to This Disease)