Have you ever stopped taking antibiotics before you’ve finished the course? Or have you shared antibiotics with friends and families without seeing a GP?
Taking antibiotics and other antimicrobials when you don’t need them puts you and your family at risk.To help keep antibiotics working, Warwickshire County Council (WCC) is supporting World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week and urging residents to always take their doctor or nurse’s advice on antibiotics to help keep families, children and communities healthy.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
Antimicrobials are a group of medicines that include:
- antibiotics
- antivirals
- antifungals
- antiparasitics
All of the above are used to prevent and treat infectious diseases in humans, as well as animals and plants. If we overuse antimicrobials, there is a risk of AMR should you misuse them.
Cllr Margaret Bell, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health said: “As we head into winter and certain illnesses become more common, it’s more important than ever to better understand the general tips around overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines. The vulnerable and the young are particularly open to bacteria and infections, so I would like to urge residents to be mindful about the use of antimicrobial medicines and only take antibiotics if you really need them”
There are many ways you can help with sustaining the efficacy of antibiotics, these include*:
- Don’t take an antibiotic for a virus
- Don’t save an antibiotic for the next time you get sick
- Take antibiotics as prescribed by your GP
- Don’t skip doses of antibiotics
- Complete your full course of treatment, even if you are feeling better
- Never take an antibiotic prescribed for someone else
- Wash your hands regularly when ill or if looking after someone who is ill.
*For advice, please speak to your GP or healthcare worker. For further information please go to www.gov.uk and search for World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week.