Antimicrobial resistance ranks among the top ten global public health threats, according to the World Health Organization. Last week, landmarks across Canada were illuminated in blue to mark the end of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). On November 24th, the City of Kitchener’s Carl Zehr Square joined the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy in the Go Blue for WAAW illumination program.
Unnecessary use and misuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials are increasing the serious problem of antimicrobial resistance. Researchers estimate that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria caused an estimated 1.27 million deaths in 2019.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.
WAAW is a global campaign to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance and encourage best practices among the public, health stakeholders and policymakers, who all play a critical role in reducing the further emergence and spread of AMR.
Each year, WAAW runs from November 18th to 24th. The theme this year was centred on preventing antimicrobial resistance together.
“While the world has been focused on adapting to the ongoing presence of COVID-19, another pandemic lurks in the shadows,” says Brett Barrett, Clinical Lecturer and Teaching Fellow at the School of Pharmacy. "Antimicrobial resistance and its impact on patients is less visible but no less damaging, leading to extended hospital stays and death."
“In order to preserve the usefulness of antibiotics, healthcare providers need to redouble their antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Our program gives frontline pharmacists and prescribers the tools they need to use antibiotics wisely.”
The program, Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care, is an online continuing education course for prescribers and pharmacists to help healthcare professionals optimize antibiotic use in common clinical scenarios. The program received the 2020 Canadian Association for University Continuing Education (CAUCE) Award.
Join us, together we can help combat antimicrobial resistance and preserve effective treatments for future generations.
