World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week Starts Soon

Get involved and help spread the word

World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2023

Antimicrobial resistance (AR or AMR) is a global public health threat. AR has been identified in all regions of the world and can rapidly spread if no actions are taken. Factors such as access to antibiotics and antifungals, clean water and adequate sanitation, vaccination, and quality health care can impact the number of antimicrobial-resistant infections and deaths worldwide. CDC works with partners around the world to help countries improve their capacity to identify and combat AR in healthcare settings so that antimicrobial-resistant germs do not spread within hospitals, to communities, or across international borders. This World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (November 18 – 24), learn how CDC and partners are working together to detect, contain, and respond to AR. Scroll down to read about CDC work with global partners to combat AR and find out how you can get involved.

	Combating AR in Argentina: Legislation for the Future

Argentina’s Ministry of Health is implementing the first law in South America that uses a One Health framework to combat AR. This law lays out Argentina’s National Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of AR. Collaborative efforts, such as Argentina’s participation in CDC’s Global Action in Healthcare Network, are helping advance the implementation of the National Action Plan. Read the latest Safe Healthcare Blog to learn more.

	Defining Access Without Excess as New Antibiotics Become Available

New, potentially life-saving antibiotics have recently become available with improved ability to treat antimicrobial-resistant infections. Ensuring global access to these medications is crucial. However, taking steps to optimize their use is also critically important because inappropriate use could lead to them becoming less effective sooner. A new article in The Lancet from CDC authors, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), defines access without excess. The article emphasizes that expanded global access to new antibiotics should be balanced with strengthening antibiotic stewardship and diagnostics capacity to prevent excess use.

	Guide for Antibiotic Stewardship in Resource-limited Settings Now Available in Spanish

CDC’s Core Elements of Human Antibiotic Stewardship Programs in Resource-limited Settings is now available in Spanish. The Core Elements is a guide for implementing antibiotic stewardship programs in global, resource-limited settings with healthcare systems that lack robust regulatory frameworks. The guide contains practical, high-impact strategies based on both expert opinion and experiences in implementing antibiotic stewardship programs at national- and facility-levels to improve antibiotic use and fight AR.

	Context-Specific Tools for Assessing Antibiotic Stewardship Programs

CDC and partners have worked to develop and implement an assessment tool for antibiotic stewardship (AMS) programs at healthcare facilities that takes regional context into consideration. This tool was developed to complement the existing WHO AMS national assessment tool. With CDC support, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit collaborators implemented both WHO national and CDC healthcare facility AMS assessment tools in Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Learn more about the tools and see assessment results.

	Clinical Infectious Diseases Supplement Provides Much-Needed Data on AR in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Have you had the chance to check out July’s Clinical Infectious Diseases supplement, The Evolving Challenges of Antibiotic Resistance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Priorities and Solutions? Data on AR from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are sparse. This CDC-supported supplement helps fill the gaps, providing data on AR and antibiotic use from communities and hospitals across several LMICs. Learn more about the findings included in the supplement that highlight the critical need for a global effort to combat the spread of AR.

	Get Involved with WAAW

	Access Tools and Materials

	Now available: Check out WHO’s WAAW web page to download their 2023 campaign guide and materials and to see a calendar of their highlighted events. Now available: Access CDC’s U.S. Antibiotics Awareness Week (USAAW) 2023 Partner Toolkit to find key messages and social media graphics. Check out CDC’s Be Antibiotics Aware Partner Toolkit for antibiotic stewardship resources for human health.

	Engage in Social Media

November 16, 10 a.m.-11 a.m. EST: Join CDC’s Global X (formally Twitter) Storm. Participants will raise awareness of AR by posting about AR and One Health during the designated time using hashtag #WAAW23Xstorm. If your organization would like to participate, contact us at IICB@cdc.gov for more details. November 18-24, daily: Help spread the word with family, friends, and colleagues so they can also get involved. Follow @CDC_AR and repost throughout the week using #AntimicrobialResistance and #WAAW. November 24, 12 a.m.-11:59 p.m. CET: Join AMR Insights’ AMRelay 2023, a 24-hour online event offering a series of 96 consecutive contributions by global stakeholders involved in curbing antimicrobial resistance.

	Attend Conferences and Webinars

November 16-17: Emerging Antimicrobials and Diagnostics in Antimicrobial Resistance 2023 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands provides the opportunity to catch up with global AR research and development, develop new collaborations, and accelerate AR innovations. November 20, 9 a.m. EST: The Global Subcommittee of the Pediatric Committee on Antimicrobial Stewardship (Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society), in collaboration with WHO, is hosting a webinar on Global AR Surveillance and Pediatric Considerations. November 21, 7-8:30 a.m. EST: The International Pharmaceutical Federation is hosting a webinar on the Management of Fungal Diseases, Antifungal Stewardship, and the Role of Pharmacists. November 21, 4-5:30 p.m. CET: The WHO Taskforce of Antimicrobial Resistance Survivors is hosting a webinar to bring together survivors of antimicrobial-resistant infections for a sharing of experiences and perspectives on the vital role that survivors’ accounts can play in enhancing and expanding AR awareness-raising and advocacy activities.

Select WAAW partner activities will be highlighted in the December edition of CDC’s International Infection Control Branch (IICB) newsletter. Let us know how your organization is celebrating WAAW by emailing us at IICB@cdc.gov.

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