World Antimicrobial Awareness Week – November 18-24, 2022 |21 November 2022

Preventing antimicrobial resistance together

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign that is celebrated annually from November 18 to 24, to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and encourage best practices among the public, ‘One Health’ stakeholders and policymakers, who all play a critical role in reducing the further emergence and spread of AMR.

AMR threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses and fungi mutate and no longer respond to antimicrobials making infections in humans, animals and plants harder to treat. As a result, the antimicrobials become ineffective and infections persist in the body increasing the risk of spread to others.

Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and anti-parasitic – are medicines used to prevent and treat infection in humans, animals and plants.

AMR is happening here and now and it is a major threat to human development and the fight against infectious diseases. It also endangers animal health and welfare and food production as well as affect the health and productivity of ecosystem.

This year the Ministry of Health is joining with other partners under One Health to commemorate the week with a series of planned activities under the theme

‘Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together’.

Press release from the Ministry of Health