Antibiotic Awareness Week November 18-24

November 18, 2020 — Abbey Canon

AASV is pleased to participate in World Antibiotic Awareness Week November 18-24, 2020. World Antibiotic Awareness Week is a global initiative to raise awareness of the health risks of antibiotic resistance to humans, animals, and the environment and to encourage best practices among healthcare providers, policy makers, and the public to limit the emergence or spread of resistant bacteria. Slowing the development of resistance and preserving safe and effective antimicrobials for use in animals and humans are priorities for swine veterinarians.

In addition to identifying resources that increase the knowledge of veterinarians and promote the health and well-being of the pigs we care for, the AASV also advocates for science-based approaches to veterinary, industry, and public health issues, including antimicrobial resistance.

In 2019, the AASV made a commitment to the Antimicrobial Resistance Challenge, a yearlong international effort to accelerate the fight against antimicrobial resistance. At that time, AASV pledged to continue providing swine veterinarians the resources, information, and knowledge they need to use antimicrobials judiciously and promote stewardship among producers, which includes veterinary oversight, use data collection, and disease prevention. Read more about AASV's 2019 commitment at CDC's AMR Challenge.

In 1999, the AASV, an early leader in developing guidelines for the judicious use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine, published the first Basic Guidelines of Judicious Therapeutic Use of Antimicrobials in Pork Production. Following earlier revisions in 2004 and 2014, the Pharmaceutical Issues Committee again reevaluated and revised those guidelines during 2020. You can find the 2020 revised guidelines at aasv.org/documents/JUG.php.

Read more about the AASV's activities surrounding antimicrobial stewardship at aasv.org/shap/issues/v28n6/v28n6advocacy.html.

Join the AASV in promoting Antibiotic Awareness Week and engage your practice and clients by

• following and reposting social media messages from the AASV, the National Pork Board, and the National Pork Producers Council;
• tagging social media posts with #USAAW20 #WAAW20 #BeAntibioticsAware;
• sharing stories and activities you do as a veterinarian to promote stewardship;
• including articles about antibiotic use and resistance in your newsletters;
• holding dialogues about antimicrobial use and resistance with other stakeholders; and
• joining an AASV committee.

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Abbey Canon is the AASV Director of Public Health and Communications