World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2021

The Tripartite organizations (FAO, OIE, and WHO) want to encourage human, animal, and environmental health stakeholders to be AMR Awareness Champions in their families, communities, and workplaces. Antimicrobials are drugs used to treat infectious diseases caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoan parasites, but they are becoming ineffective.

All uses of antimicrobial drugs - in human medicine, veterinary medicine, and food production - are accelerating the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Misuse and abuse make the problem worse.

Without a coordinated One Health approach, rising levels of AMR could lead to 10 million deaths each year and hundreds of billions of dollars lost in annual economic growth.

What can I do?

From farmers to cooks, producers to consumers, politicians to students and veterinarians to food packagers, we each have a role to play to slow the spread of AMR.

• Use World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) materials and calls to action during the campaign week to help raise awareness about AMR.
• Spread the word about AMR on social media by using the hashtags #AntimicrobialResistance #AMR and #WAAW
• Email your mailing lists about the WAAW campaign and encourage your contacts to engage on social media.
• Develop and organize your own WAAW activities and events and participate in the virtual events listed here.

See here for more details of the events.

More information on antimicrobial resistance here.