World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2021
Spread Awareness, Stop Resistance
Background
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is a major global campaign observed every year from 18 to 24 November. The slogan of this year’s campaign is “Antimicrobials: Handle with Care” under the theme “Spread awareness, stop resistance”.
The goal of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is to raise awareness about the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among the general public, health workers and policy-makers on how to work collectively to be responsible stewards to prevent the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. Additionally, it aims to highlight the serious potential implications of AMR in light of the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May 2015, a global action plan to tackle AMR was endorsed at the World Health Assembly, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance through effective communication, education and training. To help achieve this objective, FAO, OIE, and the World Health Organization (WHO) have jointly supported World Antimicrobial Awareness Week since 2015, together with the general public, students, policy-makers and professionals from various sectors around the world.
The engagement of the general public is essential to the success of the campaign and in raising awareness and we encourage everyone to get involved, become champions in preventing the spread of AMR and to share their stories. We also call on governments to take action.
Campaign objectives
Address AMR as a global public health threat
Spread knowledge and raise awareness
Encourage behaviour change
Campaign materials
Social media cards
Posters
Animated video
Awareness messages
Virtual press conference
AMR serious potential implications in light of the COVID-19 pandemic
Thursday, 18 November 2021, 13:30–14.30 Cairo time (GMT+2)
The media briefing will launch World Antimicrobial Awareness Week campaign in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and discuss the efforts needed to spread awareness of AMR and ways to stop antimicrobial resistance, with a special focus on AMR serious potential implications considering the COVID-19 pandemic
Live session
AMR and COVID-19
Monday, 22 November 2021, 13:00-14:00 Cairo time (GMT+2)
Antimicrobial agents, including antibiotics, have saved millions of lives. AMR is a major threat to human development and the fight against infectious diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread use of antibiotics has been adopted in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. This practice could lead to higher bacterial resistance rates in the future, which will impact the burden of disease and deaths in a population during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The objective of the live session is to discuss the rationale use of antibiotics for the treatment of COVID-19 patients and the risk of increasing AMR as a result of misuse of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regional Director's message
As WHO’s regional vision of Health For All By All stresses that tackling AMR requires coordination across several stakeholders representing human health, animal health, agriculture and the environment. I call on policy-makers, community members, the media, health workers, farmers and animal health professionals to join our campaign to Spread Awareness and Stop Antimicrobial Resistance. We must work together to promote a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach to address AMR. We must change behaviours towards the careful use of antimicrobials across all relevant sectors and convey the message that simple actions can make a big difference. And we must act today before we turn AMR into the next pandemic.