The overuse of antimicrobials and antibiotics has for some time now created a major complication in healthcare by contributing to the development of microbial resistance to these crucial, lifesaving medications. World Antibiotic Awareness Week constitutes a global public health campaign coordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) amongst others to increase awareness of antimicrobial resistance and the threat this poses to delivery of effective healthcare.

Unfortunately, misconceptions exist that antibiotics are a cure-all for many common ailments such as sore throat, coughs and colds. Although there are some instances where antimicrobials are beneficial, this requires clinical assessment by a registered medical practitioner such as a GP or other relevant healthcare professional to determine that these are actually required.

There are a number of measures that you can take to try to reduce your chances of contracting certain conditions, such as the flu, common cold etc. These include to wash your hands regularly, especially before handling food and eating, avoid sharing items that have been in contact with another person's mouth, eat healthily to maintain a healthy immune system, avoid close contact with someone who has a cold or flu, sneeze into a tissue and discard in the bin and take opportunities provided to protect yourself and others by having vaccinations against flu and COVID-19.

Consultant Medical Microbiologist Dr Nick Cortes said: ‘Antibiotics and other antimicrobials are vitally important, life-saving drugs and can be the best tool to treat certain infections if used correctly. If antibiotics are taken when they are not required, this can increase the risk of microbes becoming resistant to these drugs, which means that they become ineffective when they are actually needed. We all have a responsibility to safeguard antimicrobials. Many common infections such as colds or flu are driven by viruses against which antibiotics have no effect; for the vast majority of these common infections self-care such as drinking plenty of fluids, rest and symptomatic relief with medications such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, as indicated, are effective. This year sees the GHA promote self-care and selected non-antibiotic interventions for some common infections such as emphasising the importance of good hydration in prevention of urinary tract infections and the use of symptom scoring tools and rapid point of care tests for sore throats, coughs and colds, added to vaccination campaigns for flu and COVID-19 amongst others. The aim being to more accurately identify who may benefit from antibiotics and who will not, and more importantly, prevent infections in the first place.

Director of Public Health Dr Helen Carter said: ‘The overuse of antimicrobial drugs has been classified by the WHO as a global crisis. This is because the bacteria, viruses and other disease-causing organisms are becoming resistant to these types of medication. Please only take antibiotics if prescribed by a healthcare practitioner. It is also important to complete the entire course as advised.

‘Remember, keep healthy this winter and do not take antibiotics that have not been prescribed to you for your condition. Please do not share prescription only medications such as antibiotics. Let us all work together to safeguard antimicrobials and antibiotics so they remain effective for our, and future, generations.’

ENDS