THE World Organasation for Animal Health (OIE), Director General, Dr Bernard Vallat has announced that OIE has set aside 16-22 November to mark the world’s first ‘World Antibiotic Awareness Week’, which is launched to raise awareness of best practice for using antibiotics, to reduce the risks of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics and to prolong their effectiveness.
The weeklong event will unravel the responsible and prudent use of antibiotics, in both people and animals, which is crucial, not only in the interests of human health but also for animal health and animal welfare. It is revealed that 60 per cent of human pathogens comes originally from animals, thus it is clear that bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics pose a serious threat to the treatment of both animal and human diseases throughout the world.
Vallet urges farmers to be responsible and prudent in the use of antibiotics for animals which is essential to protect their effectiveness, not only for animal health and animal welfare but also for human health. He added that this is why countries need better controls on the production, registration, importation, distribution and use of antibiotics, as well as good legislation, qualified veterinarians and a well-organised veterinary profession to oversee their use in animals.
It is of note that the OIE has been working for more than ten years to promote the appropriate use of antibiotics in animals and has published intergovernmental standards in this field, in close collaboration with its international network of experts. These standards, which were updated in May 2015, have been adopted by all of the OIE’s 180 Member Countries, which have undertaken to implement them in their own territories and also form the foundation of the OIE’s contribution to the development of the veterinary component of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.