European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2014
The European Antibiotic Awareness Day is marked annually on 18 November to raise awareness about the threat to public health of antibiotic resistance and prudent antibiotic use. The 2014 European Antibiotics Awareness Day focuses on self-medication with antibiotics.
The latest data confirms that across the European Union the number of patients infected by resistant bacteria is increasing and that antibiotic resistance is a major threat to public health. To combat antimicrobial resistance The ability of microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, fungi) to survive exposure to antimicrobials. This phenomenon, driven largely by the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial agents (e.g. antibiotics, fungicides used as plant protection agents, etc), makes infections harder to treat and poses a significant threat to public health. in Europe, EFSA cooperates closely with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency, particularly on infections that can be transmitted to humans from animals and food.