Publish date: 8 November 2024
Educate. Advocate. Act now.
World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign that is celebrated annually to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and encourage best practices among the public, stakeholders and policymakers, who all play a critical role in reducing the further emergence and spread of AMR.
The theme for the World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) 2024 is “Educate. Advocate. Act now” and is a call to the global community to educate stakeholders on AMR, advocate for bold commitments and take concrete actions in response to AMR.
Since their discovery a century ago, antimicrobial medicines – including antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and antiparasitics – have significantly extended average life expectancy. Every day, these essential medicines save millions of lives.
Until they don’t.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. As a result, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective, making infections harder or impossible to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death.
The situation is more critical than it appears.
AMR is directly responsible for 1.3 million deaths and contributes to 5 million deaths every year. But this is just the start. AMR also threatens our economic future, with an estimated global annual cost of up to £2.6 trillion by 2030 and 28 million people pushed to poverty by 2050.
| Date and time | Theme | Register |
| Monday, 18 November from 4pm to 5pm | Antibiotic-sparing strategies for recurrent UTI |
Register your place via NHS Events: Antibiotic-sparing strategies for recurrent UTI | NHS England Events |
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Tuesday, 19 November from 12.30pm to 1.30pm
Tuesday, 19 November from 1.30pm to 2.15pm |
Behind the scenes - driving improvements in WaRe antibiotic use in hospitals
AMR/ Diagnostics Blood Culture Pathway optimization in Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust - Case study Claire Burnett |
To register: Behind the scenes - driving improvements in WaRe antibiotic use in hospitals | NHS England Events
Registration link: AMR/ Diagnostics Blood Culture Pathway optimization in Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | NHS England Events
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| Wednesday, 20 November (TBC) | TBC | TBC |
| Thursday, 21 November from 12.30pm to 1.30pm | Recognising infection and improving antibiotic prescribing in children with LD/A |
To register: Recognising infection and improving antibiotic prescribing in children with LD/A | NHS England Events |
| Friday, 22 November from 12.30pm to 1.30pm | Do Once and Share – Introducing Prescribing Improvement Scheme templates to facilitate Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care |
To register: Do Once and Share – Introducing Prescribing Improvement Scheme templates | NHS England Events |
Safely dispose of unused or leftover antibiotics in collaboration with community pharmacies. Incorporate this advice in your patient consultations.