Events

Everyone has a role to play in waging the good fight against antibiotic resistance. The media has one of the most important roles of all – if they accurately understanding the threat of antibiotic resistance, they can package and disseminate targeted messaging accurately to the general public, potentially leading to behavioural and policy change that could help reduce the pace and scope at which antibiotics are being abused and misused. To kickstart World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019, Malawi’s Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP), together with key stakeholders, is holding a press briefing event on 18 November, 2019 at the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) in Lilongwe, Malawi in a bid to increase local media knowledge on antibiotic resistance and its effects as a means of increasing public awareness.

This year’s theme for Antibiotic Awareness Week, like in previous years, is ‘Antibiotics: Handle with care’.

The aim of the event is to build the capacity of members of the press that report on health-related issues, to be more skilled and knowledgeable when reporting on antibiotic use and the issue of antibiotic resistance, as the media is a critical source of information for the public and policymakers. The press briefing is one of many activities prepared by PHIM for Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019, the biggest event, “Big Walk”, scheduled for Wednesday 20 November 2019 from 8:30 -11- 30am. It is an awareness walk across Lilongwe city, Malawi where awareness materials, including content prepared by AFIDEP, will be disseminated to the general public.