Press Release: World Antibiotic Awareness Week

About Press Release by the World Health Students’ Alliance:

World Antibiotic Awareness Week

#OneHealth4AMR

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The World Health Students’ Alliance (WHSA) is one of the largest interprofessional healthcare alliances representing over 1.8 million health students in more than 100 countries worldwide. The International Association of Dental Students (IADS), the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), the International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF), and the International Veterinary Students’ Association (IVSA) have agreed to maintain Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as the World Health Students´ Alliance’s top priority for the upcoming year.

 

AMR threatens the very core of modern medicine by increasing the risks associated with infectious diseases. Systematic misuse and overuse of these drugs in human medicine and food production have put every nation at risk. The WHSA is committed to contributing to the public response to AMR by planning and executing awareness campaigns that reach local, regional, and global levels. These activities, aimed at raising awareness of AMR, can change public perception,  as well as highlighting a lack of sufficient infectious disease surveillance programs, inadequate standards of prescription policies, and self-medication.

 

The WHSA has already worked closely with a wide range of stakeholders in previous initiatives such as Innovate4AMR and established a strong voice on the topic. This year, the Alliance shall be launching a social media campaign for the World Antibiotic Awareness Week (12^th-18^th November 2018) using the hashtag #OneHealth4AMR. It will be running on various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, thus helping our members to raise awareness among their communities. A global video competition called “One Minute - One Health”  will be held throughout the week aiming to find the best educational video on AMR.

 

It has been recognized that to appropriately address the different factors that contribute to the development of AMR, collaboration between all the relevant stakeholders is essential. Given the various factors that contribute to the rising prevalence of AMR, there is a need to employ interprofessional collaboration through a One Health approach to produce more comprehensive and impactful solutions. Moreover, as the future healthcare and social workforce, the WHSA calls upon stakeholders to recognize our importance as key agents, and provide opportunities for collaboration and engagement to achieve a healthier future. It is vital to uphold integrity and work together in combating AMR. Together, we can ensure patient health and safety is protected for the health of future generations.

 

 

 

About the IADS:

The International Association of Dental Students (IADS) was formed in 1951, to unite the dental students of the world and allow them to exchange knowledge and experiences about dentistry at an international level. Representing the interests of more than 200,000 dental students in 50 countries worldwide and having its headquarters at the FDI World Dental Federation headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland), the Association strives for dental educational and scientific excellence throughout the international student projects and initiatives it manages.

 

About the IFMSA:
The International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) envisions a world in which medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to take on health leadership roles locally and globally. Founded in 1951, it is one of the world’s oldest and largest student-run organisations. It represents, connects and engages every day with an inspiring and engaging network of 1.3 million medical students from 135 national member organisations in 125 countries around the globe.

 

About the IPSF:

The International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) is the leading international advocacy organisation representing over 350,000 pharmacy students and recent graduates in 90 countries worldwide. Founded in 1949, the oldest faculty-based international student organisation in the world, IPSF aims to improve public health through the provision of information, education, and networking opportunities as well as a range of publications and professional development activities. IPSF also holds public health campaigns on social media and provides tools to their member organizations to develop their own campaigns at the national and local levels. Over the past year, over 100 student organizations worldwide collectively organized more than 300 public campaigns in their own nations and reached more than 150,000 individuals. IPSF continues to hold public health at the forefront of its initiatives.

 

About the IVSA:

The International Veterinary Students’ Association (IVSA) is a non- profit organisation for veterinary students across the globe. The association was founded in 1953 in Germany and is voluntarily run by veterinary students since then. The mission of IVSA is to benefit the animals and people of the world, which is accomplished by promoting and enabling international application of veterinary skills, education and knowledge. IVSA has approximately 30.000 members, who study at more than one-hundred different universities in over fifty different countries, representing 6 different continents of the world.