PESHAWAR: Khyber Medical University Vice-chancellor Prof Ziaul Haq has said that raising a voice against the overuse of antibiotics is nothing less than a jihad.

He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week 2024. The weeklong activities were launched in Khyber Medical University here on Monday to scale up public awareness regarding the use of antibiotics, according to a press release.

Prof Zia said that media could play a pivotal role in spreading awareness about use of antibiotics. He emphasised the urgency of taking coordinated and immediate action to counter AMR, a growing threat to global health. He called for serious attention to the issue, noting that a billion-dollar industry was behind the excessive use of antibiotics.

This year’s theme of the week “Educate, Advocate and Act Now” is meant to address the critical global health issue of AMR, often referred to as a silent pandemic. The event was held under the auspices of World Health Organisation (WHO), which promotes the awareness campaign annually to combat the rising threat of AMR worldwide.

Prof Zia also highlighted the challenges faced by regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where traditional practices and low levels of awareness hampered efforts to control antibiotic misuse.

He said that unchecked antibiotic consumption was leading to numerous health complications. He expressed the hope that such awareness campaigns would lead to informed public practices and help to curb unnecessary use of antibiotics.

The weeklong activities include awareness walk, followed by quiz competition on Nov 19, poster competitions and hands-on workshops on Nov 20 with guest speaker sessions, panel discussions and ‘meet the expert’ sessions scheduled for Nov 21.

The week will conclude on November 22 with an innovative agar art competition.

The events are meant to engage a wide range of participants including healthcare professionals, microbiologists, laboratory personnel, public health students and officials, researchers, academics, biotechnologists, veterinarians and pharmaceutical scientists.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2024