The European Antibiotics Awareness Day (EAAD), held on the 18th of November, aims to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance and the importance of responsible antibiotic use. For a number of years UK EAAD activities have been led by the medical profession, co-ordinated by the Department of Health. However this year the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) have joined forces with our human health colleagues and are working in close collaboration with a number of animal health and welfare organisations to promote key messages around the responsible use of antibiotics.
The importance of antibiotic resistance has been recognised for many years; however the need to accelerate progress in this area has been highlighted recently, in particular by the most recent annual report of the Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, who has ranked antibiotic resistance alongside terrorism as a threat to the UK. In response the cross-governmental UK 5 Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013 to 2018 has been published, which sets out ways to slow down the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance.
In the veterinary field, attention on antibiotic resistance has been driven, in part, by the growing awareness that changes to the way in which vets can prescribe antibiotics may be implemented through the upcoming revision of the EU Directive for Veterinary Medicinal Products — the EU law from which our national Veterinary Medicines Regulations are taken. In addition there is a growing body of research into resistance in veterinary bacteria, and into the ways in which resistant bacteria and resistance genes may potentially be transmitted between animals, humans and the environment. Interpretation of this research, with respect to assessing risk factors, is complex, but the high level of output of research findings has maintained a focus on resistance.
Our key message is that antibiotics are losing their effectiveness at an increasing rate, and that there are very few new antibiotics in development — so it is vital that the effectiveness of existing antibiotics is conserved. Groups such as Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance, BVA, BSAVA and BEVA have developed general and species specific guidelines for the responsible use of antibiotics in both farm and companion animals. EAAD provides an opportunity to encourage all involved in the animal health sector to follow this guidance — with the ultimate aim of minimising antibiotic resistance.
The day is not just aimed at veterinary professionals, but also at animal owners; highlighting to them the need to avoid inappropriate antibiotic use. To help get this message across the VMD and BVA have created a poster Don't infect, Don't expect and Do protect aimed at pet owners, which encourages them to take responsibility to help keep antibiotics working. The poster can be downloaded from the VMD website.
The VMD is using this opportunity to encourage veterinary nurses to continue to take this issue very seriously, working alongside vets and animal owners. Specifically as nurses, you can become involved in the battle against antibiotic resistance by:
- Advising owners on good nutrition, exercise, regular worming and vaccination, as healthy pets may be less likely to develop infections that require antibiotics
- Explaining to owners that antibiotics are not always appropriate, and that the vet will need to make a thorough examination and perhaps conduct laboratory tests before making a decision on whether or not to prescribe
- Educating owners on the importance of following the instructions on the antibiotic's label
- Making sure that all medicines, including antibiotics, are stored properly
- Reporting instances when antibiotics have not appeared to work to the VMD.
More information can be found on the Antibiotic Resistance pages of the VMD website — www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/public/antibiotic.aspx