IN ABUJA: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) SENSITIZES THE PUBLIC TO HANDLE ANTIBIOTICS WITH CARE

World Antibiotic Awareness week (WAAW) is celebrated in the month of November yearly to increase awareness of global antibiotic resistance and to encourage best practices among the public, health workers and policy markers to avoid further outbreaks and spread of antibiotic resistance.

On the 20th of November 2019, World Health Organization, Abuja organised a Round Table with health correspondents on World Antibiotic Awareness Week 18th - 24th November. They had in attendance Dr. Clement Lusaka Peter "Officer in Charge; WHO" Charity Warigon " Head of Communications; WHO Nigeria" Mr Geoffrey Onyema "AMR Board" among others and over 35 media houses were present.

The global action plan to tackle the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines were endured at the sixty - eight World Health Assembly in May 2015. The key objectives of the plan was to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance through effective communication, education and training.

The WHO Regional Director of Africa, Dr Mashidiso Moeti, emphasized in his speech the need to use antibiotics safely and responsibly across sectors from agricultural and livestock production to public health and to mitigate the impacts of antimicrobial pollution contaminating water and soil. He added that AMR endangers health security and our progress towards universal health coverage by threatening to reverse medical advances of the twentieth century. It therefore reduces our ability to treat diseases such as Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Gonorrhea, Cancer, conduct surgeries and care for premature babies.

Dr Clement Lusaka sensitized the media houses present to join the government health councils, NAFDAC, WHO in spreading the awareness of antibiotics resistance because of the risk involved at long run. He added that self medication and the mixing of drugs should come to a halt because a problem cannot be understood without proper diagnosis and every individual should be advised properly on how to use drugs appropriately.