World Antibiotic Awareness Week

World Antibiotic Awareness Week

November 18th – 24th, 2020

Antibiotics are substances that act against bacteria or viruses and protect us from the harmful effects of those. WHO has announced that every year from 18 – 24 November, the world will celebrate antibiotic awareness week. The main purpose of this awareness week is to raise awareness about antibiotic resistance and to make sure that all the health workers, policymakers and the general public avoid the spread of antibiotic resistance. 

Antimicrobial Resistance is a phenomenon that occurs when the microbial and other viruses and living organisms become immune to the antibiotics and the medicines become ineffective to them. Because of AMR, the common illness viruses become active and immune to the drug available for their resistance, thus making them very dangerous and threatening. Antimicrobials or antibiotics provide resistance against diseases in humans, animals, and plants. Antibiotics such as antifungal and other antiparasitic medicines fight the fungi and other microbes. 

World Antibiotic Awareness Week History

Since 2017, WHO encourages people to stop overusing and misusing anti-microbials, and not only that, it also encourages creating a community of committed individuals to come forward and encourage people to stop misusing the medications. In 2019, WHO western pacific region countries adopted a framework the main purpose of which was to fight against AMR. 

All the countries agreed to support this movement where the main aim is to fight AMR and educate the citizens about the AMR and how to prevent and fight it. The value of self-protection, saving future generations, and society is what could be achieved by the elimination of AMR. The profit, interest, and incentives generated from this movement will be further used in the future to fight AMR. 

Importance of Antibiotic Awareness Week 

The antibiotic awareness week is celebrated all around with the aim to be aware of antibiotics, and how they work. This is because due to the lack of knowledge many people might have some misconception about the use of antibiotics and that could be dangerous. So, below given are some pointers which will explain to you the importance of antibiotic awareness week. 

  • Warns public about global health issues: The public needs to be aware of all the global health issues that are going around. That way one can be always prepared for any disease or illness. It is important to know about antibiotics and what effect they will have on our body, this way in case of an undermining health issue you can decide whether to consume it or not.
  • Increases the basics of your antibiotic knowledge: As you might know that there is a huge difference between viruses and bacteria, antibiotics are effective against bacteria but not viruses. It is not easy to treat the virus, so the next time if the doctor diagnoses a virus illness in you, do not consume antibiotics as they may be ineffective. 
  • Teaches us responsibility for ourselves: The doctors and other healthcare workers are there to help us whenever we feel sick. But apart from that, we also have to take care of ourselves and to make sure that we ask the right questions from our doctor and get diagnosed properly.

Facts about Antibiotic Resistance 

Many people are not even familiar with the term antibiotic resistance and thus it is difficult for them to know and understand the effects and the efforts of antibiotic awareness week. Let us have a look at some of the facts about antibiotic resistance and learn something healthy. 

  • Natural Evolution is why Antibiotic Resistance exists: Evolution is a natural process that every being on this planet suffers, and thus the viruses are prone to evolution too. Antibiotic resistance is a product of evolution, the weak bacteria are killed by the medicine and the remaining ones survive and reproduce new and stronger offspring that are prone to antibiotic medicines. 
  • Antibiotics can cause Antibiotic Resistance too: Uncontrolled consumption of antibiotics is one of the biggest causes of antibiotic resistance. Improper consumption of antibiotics will not treat the infection and may cause further damage. If you have any doubts about the consumption of your antibiotics, it is important to take advice from your doctor. 
  • Poor Quality Medicines may contribute to Resistance: Medicine quality control is not very effective and thus most of the medicines that reach the mass are not very high in quality. Consuming low-quality medications regularly can decrease the virus-fighting ability and increase antibiotic resistance.  

Join the Antibiotic Awareness Week Movement

Since 2019, WHO has taken a pledge to create a community of responsible and ambitious individuals that can help in supporting this movement and make our region the safest. The slogan for world antimicrobial awareness week 2020 is “Antimicrobial: Handle with care”, also the theme for the human sector for this year is “united to preserve antimicrobials”. It is celebrated from 18 – 24 November and people all around the world are invited to participate in the event and take a pledge to fight AMR. So, go ahead and take the pledge this year to support this movement and contribute. 

Unnecessary and excessive use of antibiotics could be harmful, so natural ingredients should be preferred always as a preventive measure to build immunity and Bhookha Haathi gives you the opportunity to get the best natural products easily. From organic honey, health boosters to dry fruit refresher, Bhookha Haathi has it all and all the products are 100% natural and organic. So, take your pick and steer away from overuse of antibiotics.

Written By: Swapnil Bisht
Swapnil believes words are souveniers. Grumpy when woken from a slumber. Can be found quoting Bob Dylan or feeding dogs.

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