November 13-19, 2017
Any prevention of infection reduces the use of antibiotics. We all have a role in the control of antimicrobial resistance!
This logo marks the World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2017, focusing on the great role of health care workers in the primary, secondary and tertiary level of health care in reducing antimicrobial resistance.
World Antibiotic Awareness Week
The goal of the World Antibiotic Awareness Week is to strengthen awareness of antimicrobial resistance as a global phenomenon, and to strengthen the application of best practices among the general population, health workers and policy makers in the direction of slowing down and preventing the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. The slogan- Antibiotics: handle with care, points to the great importance of antibiotics and the need to preserve their activity. They should be used only and exclusively for bacterial infections, and only when prescribed by a doctor. Antibiotics should never be shared and the entire treatment should be completed to the end according to the recommendations – they should not be kept for any future time and self-treatment.
WHO / Europe joined the United Nations Emergency Response Action Call for Action Against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and stimulated the European Region countries to be part of the World Antibiotic Awareness Week. Considering that microorganisms and their resistance to antimicrobials they do not know boundaries, this is the only opportunity of joint action of the global community and advocating for the rational use of antibiotics. The World Antibiotic Awareness Week highlights the objectives of the European Antibiotics Awareness Day , the European Initiative of 2008.
The Republic of Macedonia marks November 18 – the European Antibiotics Awareness Day from 2008, as well as the World Antibiotic Awareness Week since its establishment in 2015.
The Central Event of this year’s World Week is the Third Symposium of the Association of Family Medicine Specialists – Respiratory Group on the topic: “Antibiotics in Primary Health Care: Infections of the respiratory tract – convictions / evidence / practice”, with participation from countries in the region – Slovenia, Montenegro, the Netherlands. The opening ceremony of the Symposium is on November 17, at 14 o’clock in the City Hall. The symposium will be opened by Dr Goce Cakarovski, Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Macedonia, prof. Dr. Sonja Topuzovska, Dean of the Medical Faculty in Skopje, JihaneTawilah, Head of the Office of the World Health Organization in Skopje (waiting for confirmation) and the President of the Scientific Committee, Assoc. Dr. Katarina Stavric, director of the Children’s Diseases Clinic and coordinator of the Center for Family Medicine at the Medical Faculty in Skopje.
The symposium is structured in four sessions to discuss important topics in the field of the use of primary antibiotics and hospitals, including the importance of clinical guidelines, interventions for the rational use of antibiotics and the most common pathogens and antibiotic treatment of exacerbations. This year, a special place in the program has a round table for linking research with practice, which will discuss current policies for improving the level of antibiotic use in the country, and the mechanisms for linking primary and secondary health care with prescribing antibiotics.
Within the Symposium, with the support of the World Health Organization, the Ministry of Health – Multisectoral Commission for Control of Antimicrobial Resistance, Institute for Public Health and the Center for Regional Research and Cooperation Studiorum will also hold a satellite workshop on the possibilities for reducing the irrational use of antibiotics in hospitals, which will consider proposals for interventions for implementation of clinical guidelines, and establishment of advisory mechanisms at hospital and primary level diagnosis and monitoring of patients with antibiotic therapy. They will have shared and educational material.
Educational posters will be attached to education and awareness raising among the population in hospitals.
