Image Credit: World Health Organization
Since their discovery, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medications (antivirals, antifungals, etc.) have saved millions of lives around the world. But, with the advent of antimicrobials came the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – the ability for microbes to change over time to resist the effects of antimicrobial medications. As medicines become ineffective, infections persist in the body, increasing risks of disease spread, severe illness and death. It is unsurprising that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers AMR one of the world’s most urgent public health threats.
In an effort to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance, the WHO launched World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) in 2015, which is now celebrated annually each November. Here at Maryland, Stephanie Lansing in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology leads a team of researchers that developed the nationwide iAMResponsible™ Project, managed and developed by Amy Schmidt at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. The iAMResponsible™ Project is recognizing WAAW by sharing a series of videos produced that highlight the lifesaving power of antibiotics.
The videos will be released during WAAW on the iAMResponsible Project’s YouTube page, and can also be seen by following the team on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. The research and outreach teams have joined forces to expand awareness of AMR and the role we all have in addressing the AMR crisis. Everyone from doctors to farmers and families to policy makers have a role in saving antibiotics for future generations.
