A NATIONAL public health campaign has been launched to tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and to encourage the responsible use of antibiotics.

Ahead of European Antibiotic Awareness Day on Saturday, November 18, Community Pharmacy Wales is calling on the Welsh public to become Antibiotic Guardians.

The campaign aims to allow people to choose one simple pledge about how they will make better use of these vital medicines.

Antibiotics are important medicines for treating bacterial infections in both humans and animals, but are losing their effectiveness at an increasing rate.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most significant threats to patients' safety in Europe and is driven by overusing antibiotics and prescribing them inappropriately, such as saving antibiotics for a later date or sharing with others.

Using antibiotics in the right way is one of the key issues facing the campaign and preventing antimicrobial resistance.

Russell Goodway of Community Pharmacy Wales said: “Our 717 community pharmacies across Wales are well placed to make people aware of the over and inappropriate use of antibiotics.

“Our pharmacists are able to advise patients on the right treatment for common illnesses such as colds and coughs without encouraging antibiotic resistance.”

For details, go to antibioticguardian.com/ or wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page.cfm?orgid=457&pid=28418.