The British Small Animal Veterinary Association encourages the veterinary profession to take advantage of its guidance on the appropriate use of antimicrobials this European Antibiotic Awareness Day.
By participating in the European Antibiotic Awareness Day on 18 November, UK vets will show that they are at the forefront in the fight to minimise the impact of antimicrobial resistance on the health of humans and animals.
European Antibiotic Awareness Day is an annual campaign held to raise awareness of prudent antibiotic use and the threat of antibiotic resistance. While in the past this has focused on use of antibiotics in human healthcare, there is an increasing realisation that antimicrobial resistance is a ‘One Health’ issue with implications for human and animal health as well as the environment.
Professor Michael Day, BSAVA President says; “For both veterinary professionals and those working in human health, the spread of multi-drug resistant bacteria means that we may reach the point where we can no longer treat every day infections or diseases. So the responsible use of antimicrobials is an important focus for this pan-European campaign.”
“Antibacterial resistance is now a politically important topic for our profession, and there are those who wish to restrict veterinary use of certain antibacterial products, which could have significant implications for animal health and welfare. It is therefore essential that veterinary surgeons are seen to be using antimicrobials responsibly.
BSAVA’s Scientific Policy Officer, Dr Sally Everitt, and Ian Battersby Chairman of the Small Animal Medicine Society (SAMSoc), will be speaking at an event hosted by Professor Susan Dawson at the University of Liverpool on the day. They will present the PROTECT resource which was launched in 2011 to support practices in discussing and drawing up practice guidelines on responsible antibacterial use. This has proved a vital resource and has been widely used in the UK, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, and Italy, and has been adopted as a template by other organisations.
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