Antibiotic Guardians: have you pledged yet?

The veterinary sector is being urged to take part in Public Health England’s Antibiotic Guardian campaign as it strives to obtain 100,000 pledges.

The veterinary and medical communities, as well as farmers, students, educators and the public are invited to become antibiotic guardians by choosing a pledge to illustrate how they will make better use of antibiotics and play their part in stopping them becoming obsolete.

Significant contribution

A VMD spokesman said: “The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is very grateful to all the vets who have, so far, signed up to the Antibiotic Guardian campaign to demonstrate their commitment to using antibiotics responsibly.

“The VMD would like to see the veterinary sector continue to make a significant contribution to this target alongside the human health sector. So, if you haven’t signed up, please do so by March 31.”

Select a pledge

Veterinarian and nurse teams can choose from the following pledges:

• I will ensure clients have and understand all the information they need to administer the antibiotic correctly to their animal(s) per the prescription or instruction, as well as understand the importance of following the instructions on the label.
• I will ensure there are effective and up to date cleaning and disinfection protocols in place to minimise the spread of bacteria between patients within the veterinary practice premises.
• I will promote culture and sensitivity testing before prescribing antibiotics wherever possible and I will report any suspected antibiotics treatment failure to the Marketing Authorisation Holder (MAH) or the VMD.
• If there is a need to prescribe antibiotics, I will use narrow spectrum drugs if possible.
• I will reduce the reliance on prophylactic use of antibiotics in farm animals by working with farm clients to produce a clear animal health plan, which encourages good biosecurity and husbandry practices.
• I will maintain awareness of antimicrobial resistance through continuous professional development (CPD) and promote a culture of responsible use of antibiotics at work and within my professional network.

For more information and to choose your pledge visit www.antibioticguardian.com