Go Blue for AMR Global Campaign held in Coimbatore to mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week

Coimbatore: Go Blue for AMR Global campaign - World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) established by Quadripartite organisations – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) is celebrated every year to improve the AMR understanding and to safeguard the proper use of antibiotics in the public sector.

This year, the global campaign under the theme 'Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together' aimed to achieve the One Health approach to tackle this scary scenario.

As part of this global campaign, the Department of Microbiology, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education organized the Go Blue for AMR Global campaign - World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) with a National Service Scheme (NSS) outreach program at Malumichampatti, in Coimbatore.

The campaign aimed to encourage public awareness on the proper use of antibiotics with the concept note 'Stop self-prescription' and 'Complete the course of antibiotics to the fullest.' On November 21, about 60 post-graduate students from the Microbiology Department worked actively towards creating awareness among villagers.

The University organized the Go Blue for AMR through effective communication on November 24 to highlight the significance of the global threat with the arrangement of faculties and student gatherings with a blue colour dress code to address the AMR to inspire the wise use of antimicrobials.

The program comprised events like the Distribution of WHO and CDC-developed AMR awareness pamphlets, a live webinar titled 'Antimicrobial Resistance and Best Practices to Control' by Dr. Sathyanantham, Professor, Consultant Microbiologist, Karpagam Faculty of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore, students’ skit program as well as a Q and A session developed by CDC to highlight the impact of antimicrobial resistance and its selection among the students’ community.