Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is one of the World Health Organization’s top ten global public health threats to humanity and occurs when bacteria changes over time and no longer respond to medications, making infections more difficult to treat. Without effective medications, many routine treatments, such as chemotherapy and hip replacements, become increasingly difficult and risk serious illness or death.
The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland recognise the serious risk that AMR presents a serious risk and the importance of AMR as a cross-sector issue, and supports efforts to address AMR in human health and social care settings, animal health, and the environment, encouraging a One Health approach where possible.
The Scottish Government is actively working in close collaboration with partner organisations and NHS Scotland to promote good antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control and raise public awareness on this topic.
World AMR Awareness Week, which will take place from November 18 – 24 2024, is a global effort to raise awareness of AMR and promote actions which we can all take to address the risk of AMR in the future.
This year, World AMR Awareness Week will focus on five key messages:
- Remember: antibiotics don’t work on viruses like the common cold or flu.
- Only take antibiotics when prescribed by a healthcare professional or vet.
- Always follow your prescriber’s advice with regards to the correct dose and complete the full course, even if you feel well.
- Never share antibiotics with others.
- Never dispose of unused medications in toilets, sinks, or bins. Return any unused medications to the pharmacy for safe and sustainable disposal.
The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland have produced a toolkit to support this messaging. This toolkit provides resources, useful information, and support to encourage safe and sustainable use of antibiotics and can be used as a starting point to develop activities and local efforts to promote action against AMR, along with useful links where you can learn more about AMR and the threat it poses.
Over the course of World AMR Awareness Week, NHS Boards and other partners are planning a range of local activities and social media messaging. We hope that you can engage with this urgent agenda and make use of the opportunities to take part in awareness-raising work throughout the week. By working together to promote this messaging and taking positive and proactive action to be mindful of the use of antimicrobials, we can minimise the threat of AMR and ensure that they remain effective in the future.
