Protect yourself, your family and friends against the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Become an ANTIBIOTIC GUARDIAN
What is antibiotic resistance?
THE PROBLEM
Antibiotics treat infection by killing bacteria, but now the bacteria are fighting back. Our medicines are becoming less effective which means more deaths and more complications for people receiving treatment in hospital. We have to tackle this problem before it gets worse.
HOW THIS HAPPENED
There are many reasons why antibiotics lose their effectiveness, but here are two key ones:
Firstly, we take medicines that we don`t need. Antibiotics don`t help most colds or coughs get better but we still request antibiotics for them.
Secondly, we make things worse when we don`t take antibiotics
Exactly as prescribed for instance, missing does. Never save antibiotics for future use or give them to someone else.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Antibiotics resistance is one of the biggest threat facing us today but you can help.
Please visit www.antibioticguardian.com and find out about simple steps you can take to save our antibiotics.
A world without antibiotics
PRE-ANTIBIOTIC AGE
In a world before antibiotics, as recently as the 1930s, people often died from infections like pneumonia or meningitis. Simply medical procedures/opertation were risky due to the chance of infection. Antibiotics changed that.
ANTIBIOTIC AGE
Since the 1940s our antibiotics have allowed us to fight infections and save millions of lives. But they are becoming ineffective against many infections because we aren`t using them property.
POST-ANTIBIOTIC AGE
If bacteria become `resistant` to our antibiotics many routine treatments will again become increasingly dangerous. Setting broken bones, basic operations, even chemotherapy all rely on access to antibiotics that work. Antibiotics resistance is one of the biggest threats facing us today but we have a chance to fight back. Find out how at: www.antibioticguardian.com
Antibiotic resistance
BE AN ANTIBIOTIC GUARDIAN
Antibiotics are some of our most precious medicines, used to treat both humans and animals
The Antibiotics Guardian campaign was lunched to kick-start collective action from both healthcare professionals and members of the public to work together to slow the spread of antibiotics resistance.
By pledging to become an Antibiotics Guardian you choose to perform a simple action which protects antibiotics against the threat of antibiotics resistance.
TAKE THESE SIMPLE ACTIONS
-
Don`t ask for antibiotics, treat your cold and flu symptoms with pharmacist advice and over the counter medicines
-
Take antibiotics exactly as prescribed
-
never save them for later, never share them with others
-
Spread the word, tell your friends and family about antibiotics resistance
SIGN UP AND LEARN MORE
Rally together at www.antibioticguardian.com and choose a pledge that feels right for you. Remember that your actions protect antibiotics.
Antibiotic resistance in numbers
25k The number of people who die each year across Europe from infections resistant to antibiotics
30% of the Scottish population had at least one antibiotics prescription in 2014
30 years The period of time since a new class of antibiotics was last introduced despite the fact that growing numbers of infections are resistant to antibiotics
10% Research has shown that only 10% of sore throats and 20% of acute sinusitis benefit from antibiotics treatment but rates are much higher than this
€1.5 billion Annual EU wide cost of healthcare expenses and lost productivity due to antibiotics resistant bacteria
The Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) was established in 2008 to improve the way that antibiotics are used in hospitals and the community across Scotland. SAPG, which is part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, is continuing to lead activities for the European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) campaign, held on 18 November every year, and we are
supporting the Public Health England (PHE) Antibiotic Guardian pledge campaign to help to educate healthcare staff, patients and the public about antibiotic resistance and encourage everyone to make a pledge
Public Health England have established the Antibiotic Guardian campaign to help protect antibiotics and improve knowledge about antibiotic resistance.
You are invited to become an Antibiotic Guardian.
As an Antibiotic Guardian, encourage others to join you in protecting antibiotics against the growing threat of antibiotic resistance at www.antibioticguardian.com
Resources and promotional materials for Antibiotic Guardian and EAAD are
available via
www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/SAPG/European_Antibiotic_Awareness_Day/
The above information is from a www.antibioticguardian.com pamphlet I picked up at my Doctors practice
Below are images of the above pamphlet
