PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), kicked off on November 18 around the globe and runs until November 24.
The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) says Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antibiotics used to treat a wide range of bacteria making infections difficult to treat and at times impossible, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
Antibiotics and other antimicrobials play a key role in the success of modern medicine and have greatly improved the health of humans and animals. But overuse and misuse has reduced their efficacy, with more pathogens developing the ability to survive the antimicrobials designed to eliminate them, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
This year, the theme of WAAW is, Educate. Advocate. Act now.”
This theme was chosen based on feedback from an online survey among stakeholders from the human, animal, plant, and environmental health sectors, which collected nearly 200 responses globally.
The objective of WAAW is to spread information to different groups within the community and for persons to be able to learn more about Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and why it’s a global concern and what impact it could have on Sint Maarten.
Antibiotic medicines were discovered a century ago and have significantly extended average life expectancy. Every day, these essential medicines save millions of lives.
AMR is directly responsible for 1.3 million deaths and contributes to five million deaths every year. But this is just the start. AMR also threatens the world’s economic future, with an estimated global annual cost of up to US$3.4 trillion by 2030 and 28 million people pushed to poverty by 2050, the WHO points out.
“Together, we should ensure the international community sets ambitious goals during high-level meetings on AMR and that countries allocate sufficient resources to meet AMR national action plans.
“By sharing real-life experiences of AMR, we aim to illustrate its tangible impact and promote global action. WHO urges governments, NGOs, civil society groups, youth and student organizations, universities, healthcare professionals, private stakeholders and media to act and engage local communities in raising awareness around this global health crisis,” the WHO adds.
