18 Nov 2021
The announcement is timed to raise awareness of World Antibiotic Awareness Week which runs from 18 to 24 November, in conjunction with the NHS Antibiotic Guardian campaign.
The UK Health Security Agency has warned of a ‘hidden pandemic’ of antibiotic-resistant infections if people fail to act responsibly after Covid.
As social mixing restrictions have eased this winter, more people are expected to experience viral symptoms such as those caused by colds - but taking antibiotics is not the answer for viral illnesses. Inappropriate use of antibiotics could encourage harmful bacteria to evade treatment and put everyone's health at risk.
Antibiotic resistance affected one in five people with an infection in 2020. If the bacteria causing infection no longer responds to treatment with these common medicines, then this can cause serious complications and lead to a hospital admission.
Health leaders in St Helens are raising awareness of the ongoing risk of antibiotic resistance in an effort to ensure a world free from deaths caused by drug-resistant infections.
St Helens CCG are calling on healthcare providers and colleagues to be part of World Antibiotic Awareness Week to raise awareness to all sectors of health care and public sectors as well as the general public and support patients affected by antibiotic resistant infections.
Dr Michael Ejuoneatse, local GP and Medical Director at St Helens CCG, said: “Antibiotic Awareness Week is a great event to raise public awareness and education and help to beat antibiotic resistance. We don’t want future generations to face a pandemic like we have.
"Antibiotic resistance is a huge global health crisis which is already responsible for 700,000 deaths a year. It is predicted that if the current situation doesn’t improve, by 2050 there will be 10 million deaths a year caused by antimicrobial resistance.
"Without antibiotics then treatments we take for granted such as caesarean sections, hip replacements and cancer therapies could be too risky to undertake. And simple infections such as ear, throat, skin, blood and urinary tract could lead to sepsis."
The CCG has signed up to become an antibiotic guardians, this means helping to protect antibiotics and improve knowledge about antibiotic resistance.
To find out about keeping antibiotics working and antibiotic guardians, visit: https://antibioticguardian.com
The NHS England website also has lots of information on antibiotics: www.nhs.uk/conditions/antibiotics/