WHO warns against growing antibiotic resistance globally

The World Health Organization (WHO) sounded the alarm over the growing antibiotic resistance globally as it launched the first World Antibiotic Awareness Week from Nov. 16 to 22.

The WHO underscored the need to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics to maintain global health security and strongly urged everyone to use antibiotics responsibly.

“All government sectors and society must take action to avoid a post-antibiotic era in which common infections could become life- threatening again,” WHO regional director for Western Pacific Shin Young-soo said.

Shin noted that regional collaboration is needed to document and track the trends of drug-resistant infections and the use of antimicrobials.

Antibiotic resistance pertains to the development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. If this happens, common antibiotics may no longer work to treat illnesses such as pneumonia or diarrhea.

Antibiotic resistance is caused by overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals; poorquality antibiotics; the spread of drug resistance in health facilities and in the community, and lack of hygiene.

With the theme “Antibiotics: Handle with Care,” this year’s campaign calls on individuals and healthcare professionals to take action to ensure that future generations continue to have effective antibiotics to treat potentially deadly bacterial infections.

The WHO encourages individuals to use antibiotics responsibly by completing the full course of antibiotics prescribed, refrain from sharing or using leftover antibiotics and buying antibiotics without a prescription.

It emphasized that health care professionals should prescribe and dispense antibiotics only when needed. This includes always selecting the right antibiotic, in the right dose, and prescribing for the right duration. They need to educate patients on the responsible use of antibiotics and follow good hygiene and infection prevention and control practices.

Policy-makers must tackle antibiotic resistance in their respective countries with robust national action plans, policies and regulations. Sustainable programs must be financed and implemented in order to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics.

“We must take decisive actions to preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials before it is too late,” Shin said.