To mark the 10th European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has launched a social media call-to-action #KeepAntibioticsWorking. The initiative prompts all relevant stakeholders – professionals, patients, public health advocates and the public – to share a message on social media to explain what they are doing to prevent antibiotic resistance.
For the 2017 EAAD, EPHA will engage in social media activity and will make a statement in line with our Position Paper on AMR at the Brussels event organised by ECDC on 15 November. The key message is that business-as-usual is no longer an option. The AMR threat is urgent and critical, and requires concerted and timely European policy effort to support and accelerate national efforts. The EU Action Plan on AMR, published earlier this year, is an important tool but needs targets, tools and teeth to drive change on all fronts.
The 2017 EAAD website contains a resource hub for advocates at European and national level to raise awareness about prudent use of antibiotics and AMR. Resources aimed at the general public and healthcare professionals, include factsheets, videos, infographics and free communication toolkits, including a new one specifically designed for health professionals. The EAAD website offers guidance on how to develop a social media campaign, displays patient stories and provides an overview of awareness campaigns happening throughout Europe. A key theme for 2017 is “Communicating to professionals in hospitals and long-term care facilities”.
WHO is also organising the 3rd World Antibiotic Awareness Week (13-19 November), which this year promotes prudent use of antibiotics through the slogan, “Seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional before taking antibiotics”. The WAAW website also offers a full range of AMR resources including posters, a fact sheet, videos, infographics and social media tools.
To keep up momentum from the EAAD, EPHA will launch a Joint Statement and Call to Action on AMR at the next Health Policy Platform meeting on 27 November, where EPHA leads a diverse group of health stakeholders in the Thematic Network on AMR.
