Leading health organisations call for proper use of antibiotics.
Leading human and animal health organisations – the British Medical Association (BMA), British Dental Association (BDA), British Veterinary Association (BVA) and Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) – join forces for the first time to promote a ‘One Health’ approach to ensure responsible guardianship of antibiotics and their proper public use this European Antibiotics Awareness Day (EAAD, 18 November 2015).

Antibiotics are a vital medicine for both animal and human health, and modern health systems rely on the availability and effectiveness of a range of antimicrobials to treat and prevent infections. Yet inappropriate use – such as prescribing for self-limiting infections, not finishing a prescribed course of antibiotics or habitual prophylactic use in healthy animals to prevent disease – all contribute to the development of resistant bacteria in both humans and animals.

The effectiveness of antibiotics has led to greater pressure from patients to be prescribed antibiotics as a panacea for all cases. According to a recent BVA survey, three out of five vets see clients who expect antibiotics to treat their pets. Yet despite the expectation to prescribe, there is still a lack of understanding about responsible antibiotic use with 70% of vets reporting poor owner compliance and a recent study showing nearly 6% of households with leftover antibiotics prescribed for humans, meaning patients had stopped their treatment early.

For further information about EAAD 2015, please visit www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/EAAD
To mark EAAD 2015, BVA has produced a range of new posters to promote the responsible use of antibiotics for use in veterinary practices or as a source of information for pet owners which can be found on their website www.bva.co.uk/eaad.