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Join us in the fight against antimicrobial resistance!

News (20/11/2023) 

Join us in the fight against antimicrobial resistance!

anti microbesGlobal Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (18-24 November 2023).

Antimicrobial resistance has become one of the biggest health challenges of recent years. The teams at H.U.B. are putting it at the heart of their action this week for Global Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week. 

What is antimicrobial resistance?
Antimicrobials have revolutionised the world of medicine. They have saved countless lives and treated many types of bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections. However, the overuse of antimicrobials has led to a global problem: microbes are becoming resistant to the drugs designed to kill them. This is known as antimicrobial resistance. 

Why is antibiotic resistance a problem?
As drugs become less effective, infections have become more difficult to treat and potentially fatal. Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to many aspects of our healthcare: treating common infections, performing surgery and managing chronic diseases is becoming more difficult. If we don't take action, we run the risk of common infections becoming fatal again in the future.

World Awareness Week: You can make a difference!
As a patient, you can take action against antimicrobial resistance:

  • Always follow your doctor's instructions: use antibiotics only on prescription. 
  • Remember that antibiotics are not effective against viral infections such as colds and flu.
  • Finish your course of antibiotics even if you start to feel better
  • Maintain exemplary hand hygiene: wash your hands with soap after using the toilet and before handling food.
  • Vaccinate as recommended: keep your vaccinations up to date to prevent preventable diseases.

Take our quiz to see how much you know about antimicrobials.  

From 18 to 24 November, the H.U.B. and CHIREC HOST (Hospital Outbreak Support Team) project is proud to support Global Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week. This is a global initiative to raise awareness of the responsible use of antibiotics in order to preserve these vital medicines for the future.

The HOST team will be in the entrance hall of the Erasme Hospital on 20 November, the HUDERF on 21 November and the Jules Bordet Institute on 22 November. Don't hesitate to come and see us to discuss this important subject!