Antimicrobial resistance is not a problem for the future, it is an issue today.
Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution.1
Speak with your HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL about whether or not you need antibiotics, as diagnostic tests can help
Dispose of your unused antibiotics responsibly, for instance at your local pharmacy or by consulting your healthcare professional
Do not save them for a later illness and do not share them with friends and family
Don't Take This The Wrong Way...
That’s it. Don’t take antibiotics the wrong way. When you overuse or misuse antibiotics, you risk making them ineffective for everyone.2
Antibiotics support the miracles of modern medicine – they treat bacterial infections3 and are necessary for common life-saving procedures like surgery, organ transplants, chemotherapy and caesareans.4 Without effective antibiotics, even simple medical procedures could become high-risk.5
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria and other microbes evolve in a way that makes drugs ineffective against them. This occurs naturally but is sped up by human factors like the overuse or misuse of antibiotics.5 Antibiotic-resistant infections are difficult to treat and cure1 and can lead to life-threatening conditions like sepsis (the body’s extreme reaction to an infection) and other prolonged illnesses.6
Find out more about the simple things you can do to protect yourself, your loved ones and society as a whole from the impact of AMR.
- Wellcome. (2024). Antimicrobial resistance: it’s time for global action. Available from: https://wellcome.org/what-we-do/infectious-disease/antimicrobial-resistance [Accessed November 2024].
- Shallcross, L.J. & Davies, D.S.C. (2014). Antibiotic overuse: a key driver of antimicrobial resistance. British Journal of General Practice. 64 (629): 604-605. Available from: https://bjgp.org/content/64/629/604 [Accessed November 2024].
- NHS. (2022). Overview: antibiotics. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/antibiotics/ [Accessed November 2024].
- UK Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Environment Agency and Veterinary Medicines Directorate. (2024). Collection: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/antimicrobial-resistance-amr-information-and-resources#:~:text=Without%20effective%20antibiotics%2C%20even%20minor,preventing%20the%20spread%20of%20AMR%20. [Accessed November 2024].
- World Health Organization. Antimicrobial resistance. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance [Accessed November 2024].
- Sepsis Alliance. Power the AMRevolution. (2024). Available from: https://www.sepsis.org/power-the-amrevolution/. [Accessed November 2024].