Antibiotic Resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health today. It is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world, compromising our ability to treat infectious diseases and putting people everywhere at risk. The World Health Organization is leading a global campaign ‘Antibiotics: Handle with care’ calling on individuals, governments, health and agriculture professionals to take action to address this urgent problem. Working together, we can ensure antibiotics are used only when necessary and as prescribed. Antibiotics are a precious resource that we cannot continue to take for granted—we need to handle them with care.
This video was edited in July 2017 to cancel a message about the ideal duration of antibiotic courses. Evidence is emerging that shorter courses of antibiotics may be effective for some infections and can also help to reduce the exposure of bacteria to antibiotics, therefore slowing the development of antibiotic resistance. WHO is updating its guidelines on appropriate prescribing of antibiotics. Always follow the advice of your qualified health professional.
For more information: www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2015/world-antibiotic-awareness-week
