European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2014 will take place on November 18.

Veterinary professionals and pet owners urged to become 'antibiotic guardians'

European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD), which aims to raise awareness about antibiotic resistance, will take place on November 18.

Antibiotics (or antimicrobials) are essential medicines for treating bacterial infections in both humans and animals but they are losing their effectiveness at an increasing rate.

In July 2014, Priminister David Cameron called for for global action to tackle the “very real and worrying threat of antibiotic resistance” and commissioned an independent review to examine why so few new drugs have been introduced in recent years.  The initial findings from the review are expected to be published during 2015.

EAAD, run annually by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, aims to raise awareness about using antibiotics in a responsible way and help keep them effective for the future. The event forms part of the UK's five year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013 to 2018, which focuses on antibiotics and sets out actions to slow the development and spread of antibiotic resistance.

To mark EAAD, the British Veterinary Association, who have played a pivotal role in raising concerns about the over-use of antimicrobials, are urging veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses in clinical practice, farmers and pet owners to pledge to become 'antibiotic guardians'. The initiative, established by Public Health England, calls for everyone in the UK, the public and healthcare community to choose one simple pledge about how they will make better use of antibiotics and help save them from becoming obsolete.

Public Health England has also produced a variety of resources for use and local adaption aimed at the public. 

Organisations are encouraged to register their planned activities and to share outcomes, pictures and case studies of their campaigns with the EAAD chair, Dr Diana Ashiru-Oredope via espaur@phe.give.uk.