Antibiotic drug resistance needs to be everyone’s concern, because it’s on target to kill more than ten million people a year worldwide by 2050.

Drs Roger Harrison and David Allison have led a series of public engagement initiatives to raise awareness and understanding of this global issue and, importantly, inspire action.

It began in 2016 with antimicrobial resistance workshops in high schools, closely followed by Beat the Bugs, an educational programme developed for primary schools and local families. From this, a host of interactive activities have been created to help spread the word at festivals and community days.

Expanding the team and collaborating with other universities and our Students’ Union provided opportunities for training up local people to teach others about antibiotic resistance and take part in larger scale events, including a campaign to support World Antibiotic Awareness Week. This work was recognised in 2017 with a number of national Antibiotic Guardian Awards.

Current work is helping to ensure all healthcare undergraduates develop capability and competencies in antibiotic stewardship. The work has now moved beyond Manchester, with the formation of the International Students’ Partnership for Antibiotic Resistance Education (ISPARE), which has helped hundreds of children in Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania learn about good and bad bugs and the appropriate use of antibiotics.

This wider relationship has forged the multi-organisational international partnership – Collaboration for Antibiotic Resistance Education and Stewardship (CARES) – which is exactly what we do: caring to help ensure that antibiotics will work for someone when they really need them.

Find out more about Dr Harrison and Dr Allison’s work in antimicrobial resistance awareness.