The activities of the World Antibiotic Awareness Week, organized by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MOEWA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), have kicked off yesterday, Sunday, evening under the theme: “Antibiotics: Handle with Care”. The activities will last until November 18th in Riyadh.
The MOH has stated that these activities aim at raising the awareness about bacterial resistance to antibiotics, as well as encouraging the public, health workers and policy makers to follow the best practices; in order to avoid the detection of more cases of antibiotic resistance or its outbreak.
Besides, the MOH has pointed out that these activities will be held at a number of shopping malls. They kicked off yesterday “Sunday” at Riyadh Gallery Mall, and will be held at Al-Othaim mall on Monday, whereas over the rest of the week, they will be held as follows: On Tuesday at Al-Qasr Mall, on Wednesday at Al-Nakheel Mall, on Thursday at Al-Mamlaka Mall, and on Friday at terminal No. 1 in King Khalid Airport. Given that all these activities will begin at 4:00 p.m. and last until 11:00 p.m.; in an endeavor to reach the largest segments of community through direct communication and to achieve the awareness on the proper ways and optimal use of antibiotics, as it is better to refrain from using antibiotics unless when necessary or in case of medical need.
The Ministry added that it was seeking through these activities to convey a comprehensive message that antibiotics are a precious resource, must be preserved, and should not be used for inflammation therapy, except in those cases described by a certified specialist physician.
It is worth mentioning that the WHO has approved, during its meeting held in May 2015, a global plan of action for the treatment of the ever-growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. The key objectives of the plan include promoting awareness and understanding about antimicrobial resistance, by means of communication, education and training effectively. The problem is expanded in livestock that consume about 70% of antibiotics, compared to the human consumption, which amounted to 30%.