AIIMS Bathinda hosting ‘WAAW’ Awareness Week
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ November 22,2023
In a proactive step towards addressing a critical global health concern, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bathinda’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee and Department of Pharmacology is set to organize World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) from November 18 to 24, 2023. The overarching theme of this significant event is “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together.”
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a growing threat to public health worldwide, making initiatives like WAAW crucial in raising awareness and fostering collective action.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) refers to the ability of microorganisms to resist the effects of antimicrobials, including antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals. This resistance poses a significant and growing threat to public health worldwide. The overuse and misuse of antimicrobial agents not only in humans but in animals and agriculture has contributed to the emergence of resistant strains of microorganisms, making infections more challenging to treat and increasing the cost of therapy.
World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) serves as a pivotal initiative in acknowledging and combating this global health crisis. The week-long event is designed to draw attention to the complexities of antimicrobial resistance, educating healthcare professionals, communities, and the general public about the responsible use of antimicrobial agents. By fostering awareness, WAAW aims to instigate collective action, encouraging individuals, healthcare providers, and policymakers to work together in adopting strategies that mitigate the impact of AMR.
The initiatives undertaken during WAAW, such as educational workshops, community outreach programs, and scientific sessions, contribute to a multifaceted approach in addressing AMR. By emphasizingon responsible practices, promoting hand hygiene, and engaging diverse audiences through competitions and events, WAAW seeks to empower individuals to play an active role in preventing the further escalation of antimicrobial resistance. At the community level and as responsible citizens, there are some Do’s and Don’ts we can adopt in our lives.
- Never use left-over antibiotics
- Never share antibiotics with others
- Do not self-prescribe antibiotics or take over-the counter antibiotics without prescription
- Only use antibiotics when prescribed by a trained health care professional
- Always take the full course even if you feel better before completion of prescribed duration
- Prevent infections by regularly washing your hands, avoiding contact with sick people and keeping your vaccination up to date
In essence, the significance of WAAW lies in its ability to unite diverse stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and the public, in a collective effort to curb the rise of antimicrobial resistance and safeguard the effectiveness of crucial medical treatments for generations to come.
AIIMS Bathinda urges the community’s participation and support in spreading awareness about antimicrobial resistance and emphasizes the collective responsibility in preventing its escalation.Together we all can fight against antimicrobial resistance
