Our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (FBMH) marked World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) during the week of 18–24 November.

According to the UN, as many as ten million deaths a year around the world are estimated to result from antibiotic-resistant diseases by 2050 if large-scale, effective action is not taken. We want to reduce that number by engaging the public and giving them the tools to pass the message on about antibiotic-resistant.

This year, WAAW was marked through a series of events, activities and social media campaigns informing staff, students and the general public about the danger posed by antibiotic resistance. Find out more below:

• The University’s annual ‘Action on Drug Resistance’ lecture took place on 18 November. This year’s keynote speech was delivered by Dr Jennifer Hobbs who discussed antibiotic awareness, through her talk entitled ‘A feminist perspective on the fight against Antimicrobial Resistance.’
• Discover the danger posed by antibiotic resistance, and how dental teams can meet the challenge to protect patients by completing this new open access course by FBMH’s Dr Wendy Thompson.
• The historical aspects of Antibiotic Awareness are brought to life through FBMH’s Museum of Medicine & Health (MMH), where a brass reservoir multi dose penicillin syringe can be found in its collection. Find out about the history of penicillin and its use in WW2 in this blog post ‘Thanks to Penicillin, he will come home!’
• Antibiotic resistance work is also being done internationally. FBMH’s Dr Roger Harrison has taken the programme to Rwanda following a chance conversation on Twitter with an enthusiastic pharmacy student at University of Rwanda.
  
• More recently, an internationally important research study (ADAPT-Sepsis study) including doctors and scientists from the University is looking to improve the use of antibiotics for patients with Covid-19 at risk of sepsis. Read about this research here

Want to help pass on the message about antibiotic-resistant? Why not become an antibiotic guardian by completing the new online course ‘Antibiotics and You’, developed by FBMH’s School of Health Sciences AMR (Anti-Microbial Resistance) Team – a collaborative partnership between students, academics, and learning technologists. The course aims to increase your general understanding of antibiotic resistance and help you understand how it affects different people.

To find out more facts about Antibiotic Resistance visit here or view the FBMH’s social media campaign.