The PDA recognises the impact natural disasters and war have on AMR in any given country and how this transcends borders [1] [2]. With the ‘Medicines to Ukraine’ campaign evolving to look at the AMR issues in Ukraine, colleagues have written a paper about the impact of human conflict on the spread of AMR. Read the paper here.
Having partnered with the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) to address Ukraine’s AMR issues, the PDA encourages members to sign up for free and take advantage of their training courses and educational resources. The BSAC is an internationally renowned organisation in the field of antimicrobial research with a commitment to scientific excellence. The BSAC also has an upcoming Winter Conference at which PDA Chairman, Mark Koziol, will be partaking in a panel that looks at AMR in conflict zones. PDA members can also become members of the BSAC here.
The PDA has also worked hard to raise awareness both nationally and internationally at events such as CPC London, CPC North, The Pharmacy Show, EPhEU Congress, Oslo, and various FIP events including the annual FIP Congress which took place in Brisbane, Australia in September of this year.
CPC London & CPC North
EPhEU Congress, Oslo
FIP World Congress
The PDA is proud to be working in partnership with the BSAC in adopting a multidisciplinary approach to addressing AMR. Within the team, there are pharmacists, microbiologists, nurses, military personnel, and government body individuals amongst others who have embarked on fact-finding to scope the Ukrainian AMR landscape and are now in the process of looking at solutions. This is an ongoing project and it will take time and careful collaboration to make progress where AMR was already an issue prior to the war in Ukraine.
The PDA and BSAC believes in building a framework that can be applied anywhere in the world where there is a crisis. Given the current political climate and issues with climate change, it is important to be aware that AMR issues somewhere else today is likely to be a UK issue tomorrow. Therefore, the PDA encourages all members to implement antimicrobial stewardship in their day-to-day work, pledge to become an Antibiotic Guardian, and to get involved in #WAAW where possible.
[1] Economic Impact of Antimicrobial Resistance
[2] Antimicrobial-Resistant Infections after Turkey/Syria Earthquakes, 2023
Learn more
- The contribution of human conflict to the development of antimicrobial resistance
- Addressing AMR across the tightrope of politics, policy and practice
- BSAC membership
- Become an Antibiotic Guardian
- 18 to 24 November is World AMR Awareness Week
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.