ANTIBIOTIC

RESISTANCE
IN NUMBERS Public Health England (PHE) leads the
co-ordination of Antibiotic Awareness

25K The number of people who die activities in England in collaboration

each year across Europe from with the Veterinary Medicines
infections resistant to antibiotics
Directorate (VMD) of the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

33
13% BECOME AN
The period of
time since a (DEFRA), the Department of Health,
new class of devolved administrations, and other
antibiotics
YEARS
ANTIBIOTIC
for human professional organisations.
treatment was
last introduced, despite PHE established the Antibiotic Guardian campaign to
decrease in antibiotic help protect antibiotics and improve knowledge about
the fact that growing

GUARDIAN
prescriptions dispensed antibiotic resistance.
numbers of bacterial
in General Practice
and viral infections are
between 2012 and 2016 You are invited to become an Antibiotic Guardian
resistant to antibiotics
As an Antibiotic Guardian, you can encourage others

10%
to join you in protecting antibiotics against the growing
10% of the sore throats and
20% of acute sinusitis benefit
threat of antibiotic resistance at antibioticguardian.com Protect yourself, your family, friends,
from antibiotic treatment but the Please share on social media using #AntibioticGuardian colleagues and patients against the
prescription rates are much
higher than this Resources and promotional materials about antibiotic spread of antibiotic resistance.
awareness, including Antibiotic Guardian, World Antibiotic
Awareness Week (WAAW) and European Antibiotic Join us at

10 million
Awareness Day (EAAD), are available from Gov.uk antibioticguardian.com

13
People in
or bit.ly/eaad-resources
England take
at least one In England, leaflets and posters, including the Target
course of Estimated number

IN of yearly deaths Treat Your Infection Pad, are available free for healthcare
antibiotics professionals. To order them for local awareness
each year globally by 2050 if
we do not act now campaigns e.g. during WAAW or at other times,
visit the PHE campaign resource centre at Keep Antibiotics Working

The estimated lost
productivity to the global
economy ($100 trillion)
66
campaignresources.phe.gov.uk
£ trillion Antibiotic Guardian leaflet for health and social care workers/professionals
v1 Nov 2017
WHAT IS ANTIBIOTIC A WORLD WITHOUT ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
RESISTANCE? ANTIBIOTICS WHAT CAN I DO?
The problem Pre-antibiotic age Be an Antibiotic Guardian
Antibiotics, antifungals, antimalarial, antiretrovirals In a world before antibiotics, which was as recently as the Antibiotics are some of our most precious medicines
(collectively termed antimicrobials) treat infections by 1930s, people often died from infections like pneumonia used to treat both humans and animals.
killing bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses (respectively), or meningitis. Simple medical procedures and operations
but now we have an increasing number of these microbes were risky due to the chance of infection. Antibiotics The Antibiotic Guardian campaign was launched in 2014
that are able to resist the effects of these antimicrobials. changed that. to kick-start collective action from both health and social
This is called Antimicrobial Resistance. Infections caused care professionals, students, educators in the human and
by such microbes are termed drug resistant infections. Antibiotic age animal health sector as well as members of the public to
Since the 1940s, our antibiotics have allowed us to fight work together to slow the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Antimicrobials, especially antibiotics, are becoming infections and save millions of lives. However, they are
less effective. This can lead to more deaths and By pledging to become an Antibiotic Guardian, you
becoming ineffective against many infections because
more complications for people receiving treatment. choose to perform a simple action which protects
we aren’t using them properly.
We have to tackle this problem before it gets worse. antibiotics against the threat of antibiotic resistance.
Post-antibiotic age It is important that the public are made aware that taking
How this happened If bacteria become ‘resistant’ to our antibiotics, many
There are many reasons why antibiotics lose their antibiotics when they don’t need them puts them and
routine treatments will again become increasingly their family at risk of developing infections which cannot
effectiveness, but misuse is one of the key contributors: dangerous. Setting broken bones, basic operations, even be easily treated with antibiotics.
Misuse of antibiotics can include any of the following1: chemotherapy all rely on access to antibiotics that work.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats facing
• When antibiotics are prescribed/taken unnecessarily Advise patients and the public to take these simple
us today but we have a chance to fight back. Find out
• When antibiotic administration is delayed in critically how at www.antibioticguardian.com actions to keep antibiotics working:
ill patients
• Ask their pharmacist to recommend medicines to help
• When broad-spectrum antibiotics are used treat cold or flu symptoms or pain
unnecessarily or when narrow-spectrum antibiotics
are used incorrectly • Take antibiotics exactly as prescribed, never save them
for later, never share them with others
• When the dose of antibiotics is lower or higher than
appropriate for the specific patient • To spread the word, tell their friends and family about
• When the duration of antibiotic treatment is too short antibiotic resistance
or too long
• When antibiotic treatment is not guided by Sign up and learn more
microbiological culture data results Join the movement at www.antibioticguardian.com
and choose a pledge that feels right for you to become
What can we do? an Antibiotic Guardian. Remember that your actions
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats protect antibiotics.
facing us today but you can help. Please visit
www.antibioticguardian.com and find out about
the simple steps you can take to save our antibiotics.
1
Gyssens IC, van den Broek PJ, Kullberg BJ, Hekster Y, van der Meer JW. Optimizing antimicrobial therapy.
A method for antimicrobial drug use evaluation. J Antimicrob Chemother. 1992 Nov;30(5):724-7.