Celebrate Antibiotic Awareness Week with the world!

Human and animal health professionals and organisations are mobilising this week for Antibiotic Awareness Week. Following in Australia’s footsteps, this year the world has taken antibiotic awareness from a day to a week!

The first World Antibiotic Awareness Week has been declared by the World Health Organisation to build on the momentum of annual awareness efforts in various countries and regions.

The AVA has announced a major new project in partnership with Animal Medicines Australia. Together we will be developing Australia’s first evidence-based antibiotic prescribing guidelines for livestock and horses. The 3-year project will produce clinical guidelines for dairy, beef and feedlot cattle plus sheep, pigs, poultry and horses, that are easy to access and clinically useful to Australian veterinarians.

There will be a One Health focus in Canberra with a large meeting to discuss implementation of our first-ever National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2015-2019. Representatives from across human, animal and aquatic health sectors will be there, including several representatives from the AVA.

You can help celebrate Antibiotic Awareness Week by promoting responsible antibiotic use in your practice and among your friends and colleagues.

Practice resources

Communicating with clients about responsible antibiotic use can be challenging, but this BVA poster and client handout might help.

If you prescribe antibiotics that are dispensed in stock feed, this AVA client handout gives some helpful tips on minimising resistance in people in contact with treated animals.

Not sure which antibiotics are most important in human health and how you should use them? Check this concise AVA reference guide on prescribing these antibiotics.

If you’re a companion animal clinician, the AIDAP Prescribing guidelines for dogs and cats provide an up-to-date reference on best practice antibiotic use.

Raising awareness

Demonstrate your commitment to responsible prescribing by taking the Resistance Fighter Pledge for health professionals, then tell your colleagues about it! We’re aiming for 250 vets to sign up to this national campaign – currently only 50 have taken the pledge.

You can share your message of responsible antibiotic use via social media using the hashtags #AbxAus (health professionals focus) and #AntibioticResistance (consumer focus). There’s also an opportunity to participate in a global Twitter chat on 18 November by adding the hashtag #EAAD.

Share some of the resources on the AVA website or the NPS MedicineWise website through social media.