Kerala to observe World AMR Awareness Week

As part of the World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) awareness week to be celebrated from November 18 to 24, Kerala will focus on efforts to increase antibiotic literacy in the state.

World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign celebrated annually to improve awareness and understanding of AMR and promote best practices among the public.

One of the key objectives of the global action plan to address the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs is to improve awareness and understanding of AMR through effective communication, education and training.

Kerala had set a target of December 2025 to achieve full antibiotic literacy in the state.

The antibiotic literate Kerala campaign aims to raise public awareness about the importance of proper use of antibiotics and how expired antibiotics should be disposed of safely so that they do not contaminate water sources and return to the soil.

The message to the public is that the rational and judicious use of antibiotics is necessary to prevent the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogens. Health authorities also emphasize that antibiotics should not be purchased without a prescription and should only be purchased with a prescription from a registered medical doctor.

As part of raising awareness, the Ministry of Health has launched a new campaign in which a 10-question quiz is distributed to the public to test the level of antibiotic literacy.

“Although the sale of over-the-counter antibiotics has decreased by 20 to 30% in the state, this was mainly due to stringent regulations preventing over-the-counter sale of antibiotics and not necessarily due to awareness of AMR among people. We want people to voluntarily desist from seeking over-the-counter antibiotics,” said a senior Health official.

The quiz is widely distributed among the public using a QR code. The idea is to seek the help of an external agency to assess the change in knowledge and behavior among people at a later stage.