World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) 2023
World Antimicrobial resistance awareness week runs from 18-24 November 2023 to improve the awareness of antimicrobial resistance.
What is antimicrobial resistance?
AMR occurs when the microorganisms which cause disease (including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) are no longer affected by antimicrobial medicines such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics that we use to kill them, prevent and treat the disease.
While resistance is a natural phenomenon and not just a health issue, from a human healthcare perspective it is accelerated by:
- inappropriate use of antimicrobial drugs
- poor infection prevention and control practices
- a lack of new antimicrobial drugs being developed
- insufficient global surveillance of infection rates.