Health and wellbeing
Walsall lights up blue for World AMR Awareness Week
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Walsall Council is marking World AMR Awareness Week from 18 to 24 November 2024 by lighting up the Lichfield Street Hub to raise awareness about Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and encourage residents to take collective action.
Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacterial infections. However, inappropriate use or overuse can lead to antibiotic resistance, making infections harder to treat. It claims up to 1.3 million lives every year.
Antibiotics should only be used when prescribed by a GP and you should always finish the full course of treatment, even if you feel better. Misusing antibiotics can contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, which continues to be a serious threat to public health. Antibiotics must never be shared with others.
Residents can take steps to reduce antimicrobial resistance by handing in any old or unused antibiotics at a local pharmacy for safe disposal, washing their hands regularly with soap and water to keep bugs away, staying up to date with vaccinations and only using antibiotics when prescribed.
“ We are proud to participate in World AMR Awareness Week and to be lighting up our Lichfield Street Hub blue.
Antibiotic resistance continues to be one of the biggest threats facing our world and we must do all we can to preserve existing and future antibiotics. Antibiotics, which are used for bacterial infections, do not work for viral infections such as colds and flu and inappropriate use increases the risk of antibiotics becoming less effective, and can even cause serious illness. Be guided by your doctor as to whether you need antibiotics.
If you have antibiotics at home which are old or unused, I urge you to drop them off at your local pharmacy where they can be disposed of safely. “
Pharmacies will always accept unwanted medicines from people or households for safe disposal. Medicines returned to a pharmacy are safely stored, collected by a licensed waste contractor and taken for safe disposal by incineration.
To find your local pharmacy visit the NHS website.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
- To find out more about World AMR Awareness Week visit the World Health Organisation website: World AMR Awareness Week
- To find out more about antibiotics, visit the NHS website: Antibiotics - NHS
