WORLD AMR AWARENES WEEK - 2023
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
The Quadripartide has conventionally shortened the formerly known as World Antimicrobial Awareness week to Word AMR Awareness week, keeping similar short form of WAAW. The theme for WAAW 2023 remained as “Preventing antimicrobial resistance together“, as in 2022. AMR is a threat to humans, animals, plants and the environment. It affects us all. WAAW is a global campaign to raise awareness and understanding of AMR and promote best practices among One Health stakeholders to reduce the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. WAAW is celebrated from 18-24 November every year.
OAZIS Health has led the WAAW celebration in Rwanda since the 2020, this year we have collaboratively partenered with diferent like-minded civil society organizations to raise awareness on antiicrobial resistance (AMR) in Rwanda through community sessions, univerisity workshops, online personalised campaign, TV shows and Radio Talks as well.
Online Campaign
We raised awareness through a coordinated personalised online campain where everyone crafted a message on Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in English or Kinyarwanda. The message was proofread and designed into a social media post with personal profile picture and widely shared to call others to the the same. Through this we have managed to involve 130 individuals from various one health backgrounds including policy makers, researchers, students, clinicians and local community as well.
ONE HEALTH WORKSHOP
One health; an intergrated, unifying approach to balance and optimize the health of people, animals and the environment. AMR is one of the best global health illustrates of one health approach; it can not be contained without a joint effort. It is linked to each of these three compontents due to the irresponsible and excessive use of antimicrobials in various sectors (agriculture, cattle raising, and human medicine).
We have convened more than 150 university health students and empowered them on one health practices that are potential to curbing antimicrobial resistance in their daily life, clinical placements and in future practice as professionals as well.
One Health workshop, in pictures 🙂
RAISING AWARENESS IN MEDIA
The media plays a critical role in informing the public about antimicrobial resistance (AMR). How the news media communicates AMR risk can shape public understanding and engagement with the issue. In local language, we delivered shows to the Rwandan community through 2 Radio talks and 2 TV shows namely Salus radio, Radio Imanzi and BTN TV and TV1 respectively.
AMR is a silent pandemic, and It is undermining modern medicine and we are likely to return to the pre-antibiotics era if nothing is done, thus there desparately needs new ways of collaborations to ensure sustainable solutions. We are thankfull to the collaborations that has made this possible, the Dynamic Project of Swiss TPH, Agrotech, VetConnect, Rwanda nursing and midwives union, Kundwa Health, RPSA and AMR Alliance as well.
Would you be interested in fostering collaborations with us to address Antimicrobial Resistance, either now or in the future (perhaps during the next WAAW)? Feel free to drop us a line; we are just a click away 🙂
Drop us a line at info.oazishealth@gmail.com | info@oazis.rw