European Antibiotic Awareness Day is taking place on 18 November this year and NHS Highland intends to launch a video to raise awareness about the threat that antibiotic resistance presents.

Strathspey Herald reported that a video, entitled ‘Antibiotics and You’ will be released to mark the day. The video has been produced by Talking Medicines in partnership with the Pebble Trust and is aimed at patients.

It will cover information about when to take antibiotics, the importance of following a full course of antibiotics and sticking to the correct regime when taking them, antibiotic resistance and how to safely dispose of medicines.

Consultant in pharmaceutical public health at NHS Highland Sharon Pfleger told the news provider that it’s important people don’t take antibiotics when they don’t need them, as this could mean they won’t work for you or others in the future.

Antibiotic over-prescription also has a negative effect on the environment and wildlife, she added.

“The latest data confirms that across the European Union the number of patients infected by resistant bacteria is increasing so it is vital to spread the message to health professionals and the public that we all have a role to play in helping to keep antibiotics effective for the use of future generations,” Ms Pfleger asserted.

A new report published this month in the US has highlighted the scale of the problem when it comes to antibiotic resistance.

The US Center for Disease Prevention and Control revealed that approximately 35,000 people in the USA die from antibiotic resistant infections each year. While this figure has fallen from the number estimated in 2013, there is still a long way to go to control such infections.

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