Seek advice from a qualified health professional before taking antibiotics
The World Health Organization will join the global community to commemorate World Antibiotics Awareness Week from 13-19 November 2017. The theme this year is “Seek advice from a qualified health professional before taking antibiotics”. Antibiotics are medicines used to prevent and treat bacterial infections in humans and animals.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health and development today, and is rising at alarming rates around the world. Infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and gonorrhea are becoming sometimes impossible to treat as antibiotics become less effective. For instance, the bacteria that cause gonorrhea are evolving rapidly to evade new classes of antibiotics to treat the infection. This puts women particularly at greater risk of developing complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility, as well as an increased risk of HIV.
WHO calls on everyone to think twice, seek advice and always consult a qualified health professional before taking antibiotics.