Antibiotic Awareness Week

To mark the US Antibiotic Awareness Week (November 18-24), NYSDOH and NY “Be Antibiotics Aware” Campaign has released a Superbug Superhero poster which offers the message “Keep Andy-Biotic Strong…don’t use antibiotics wrong!”

The New York State Department of Health is reminding New Yorkers that the overuse and misuse of antibiotics are key factors leading to antibiotic resistance. So, while it is tempting to ask a healthcare provider for antibiotics to treat cold, flu, and other viral illnesses, it is best to leave such decisions to your provider, as antibiotics only work on bacterial infections. That’s the message on a new poster the Department is making available to observe U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week, which runs from November 18 to 24.

“Antibiotic misuse and overuse pose a serious threat to the health of patients in New York, the United States, and globally,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said. “In their struggle to survive, bacteria are always changing and can evolve to develop resistance to antibiotics. That could have a devastating effect on patients, now and in the future.”

The intent of the poster is to use antibiotics only when needed and listening to doctors when they determine that infections are viral and antibiotics will not work. There is growing public health concern about antibiotic resistance, where bacteria that cause infections are changing to the point that antibiotics we have relied on for years may not be as effective as they were in the past. The awareness campaign that underscores how important it is for all of us to use antibiotics correctly. As the slogan says, “Keep Andy-Biotic Strong…don’t use antibiotics wrong!”

Posters can be ordered at no cost to schools, pediatricians, primary care providers, urgent care and dental clinics and other health care settings, for display during the annual observance of U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week and to spread awareness about wise use of antibiotics.

Be sure to check out the new U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week Toolkit and other resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more information on antibiotic resistance and what you can do to protect antibiotics’ effectiveness.