One Health approach to World Antimicrobial Awareness Week.

In important issues with far-reaching effects, BVNA often collaborates with other stakeholders to strengthen our representation and advocacy, and to promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise. This is a perspective that is also reflected globally in the One Health approach.

One Health is an integrated approach to preventing, detecting and responding to issues affecting
the health of people, animals and the environment, particularly threats related to food and water
safety, nutrition, the control of zoonoses, pollution management and combating antimicrobial resistance.

This year, 18–24 November is World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. Those in related sectors are uniting to raise awareness, share expertise and encourage best practice in the responsible use of antimicrobials among the general public, the health and veterinary professions, and related policymakers, to avoid the
further emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections.

Throughout November, BVNA is working with the Scottish Antimicrobial Nursing Group (SANG) and the
Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) on a campaign focused on reducing the
number of unnecessary antibiotics in circulation. Veterinary practices wishing to participate are invited to offer an ‘antibiotic amnesty’ to encourage owners to return their pets’ out-of-date or unused antibiotics, free of charge. Similar initiatives for human medicines are being run by participating pharmacies, and some will also take veterinary medicines, so check with your local pharmacist to see if they are part of the campaign.

We will be sharing social media posts with SANG and RUMA to extend the reach and relevance of our
shared messaging, to encourage people to think about their own medication as well as that of their
pets when engaging with the antibiotic amnesty. Using this two-pronged approach, we hope to reach
all of those long-forgotten antibiotics hidden at the back of cupboards.

A joint campaign between BVNA, SANG and RUMA as part of a One Health approach to World
Antimicrobial Awareness Week. If you or your practice would like to get involved, you can find more information on the RUMA website at https://rumacae.org.uk/vet-antibioticamnesty. At the end of the month, participating practices can submit their campaign data to RUMA, and the practice that has
collected the most antimicrobials will be awarded a prize! When promoting the campaign on social
media, please use the hashtag #AntibioticAmnesty.

We hope you will get involved. Through a One Health approach, we can help to reduce the global
threat to the environment, people and animals posed by antimicrobial resistance.