Walk to increase awareness of antibiotic resistance

Islamabad :The World Health Organisation (WHO), along with the National Institute of Health (NIH), will organise an awareness walk today (Wednesday) in connection with World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAK), which aims to increase global awareness of antibiotic resistance (AMR), and encourage best practices among general public, health workers and policy makers to prevent its emergence and spread.

The walk will start from NIH at 10.30 a.m. and end at the WHO Country Office as a platform for all One Health stakeholders to come together and create awareness on actions taken to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

This year’s theme is ‘The future of antibiotics depends on us all.’

Thursday’s walk is just one of a number of activities being conducted as part of a nationwide campaign to commemorate WAAW from November 18-24. Other activities include an online AMR poster competition with certificate distribution; AMR page development for NIH and WHO websites; printing and dissemination of banners, messages, and infographics with Urdu translation; social media messaging;

media awareness through an animated video; and seminars at the national and provincial levels.

The activities have been planned NIH as the national AMR focal point.

It is known reality now that the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in human and animal health has encouraged the emergence and spread of AMR.