November 14, 2016
Did you wake up to a flurry of tweets and Facebook messages about antibiotics this morning? Don’t worry, there hasn’t been a new superbug breakout – today is the first day of World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2016. Each year, countries across the globe use this week to spread the message about the dangers of rising rates of resistance and to offer solutions to conserve the effectiveness of our antibiotics.
At CDDEP, we work to raise awareness through research and policy action every day. This week, we will highlight a few new and interesting initiatives and projects. Tomorrow and Wednesday we will update you on CARA – the Conscience of Antimicrobial Resistance Accountability. This alliance of more than 40 organizations was introduced “to support the U.N. Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance” in conjunction with the CDDEP Forum in New York preceding the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September. Tune in this week to learn about how CARA will fulfill this goal.
On Thursday, a study by CDDEP researchers and colleagues on antimicrobial resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa will be published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. P. aeruginosa is a common cause of serious hospital-acquired infections, and the researchers have examined how the rate of antibiotic resistance in this infection has changed over time in American children. The results will be shared in this space on Thursday.
Friday, CDDEP will report back on the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership (GARP) forum being held at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Atlanta, Georgia.
GARP working groups from Kenya to Nepal are hosting their own events, including cycle rallies, essay competitions, and lectures. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see the events in action. We invite you watch and share this video created by GARP-Kenya chair Prof. Sam Kariuki on antibiotic use in Kenyan chickens.
You can also take action by participating in a CDC thunderclap for appropriate antibiotic use or by sharing tools and graphics created by CDDEP and other global partners, available here:
CDDEP tools and infographics
WHO videos
WHO infographics
CDC materials
Join us in making an impact as a part of World Antibiotic Awareness Week this year.
Image via Iqbal Osman (CC BY 2.0)
