Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognised as a public health threat which demands One Health collaboration of human, animal, and environmental health sectors. World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), one of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) official health campaigns, is observed from 18-24 November, annually.
Antimicrobial Resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
The World AMR Awareness Week is a global campaign to raise awareness and increase understanding of AMR and to promote global action to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens.
In commemoration of the 2025 campaign, an engagement with poultry farmers in Pretoria North was organised by the UP Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Paraclinical Sciences.
To emphasise the importance of One Health in combatting AMR, the Faculty of Veterinary Science joined forces with the NICD Centre for Healthcare-Associated Infections, Antimicrobial Resistance and Mycoses (CHARM) and the UP Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.
The event, led by Veterinary Public Health lecturer in the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Dr Vashnee Govender, was also enriched by the attendance and participation of Veterinary Public Health personnel from Gauteng Veterinary Services.
Aligned with the WAAW theme for 2025 “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future”, interactive discussions with farmers and farm workers included the public health significance of AMR, reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock production, and the environmental impacts of AMR.
Poultry post-mortem examinations, which highlighted common presentations of infectious and non-infectious diseases of poultry, were demonstrated to farmers.
Educational materials developed by the World Health Organization and UP’s Drama Department were also distributed to participants. The UP Veterinary Students Community Outreach Committee (VetSCO) members participated in the presentation of awareness materials and poultry post-mortems.
According to Dr Govender, this campaign demonstrates how interactive engagement on the significant global health issue of AMR between scientists and community members from a One Health perspective can lead to sustainable solutions that serve communities.
"Small-scale poultry farmers play an important role in food security in rural communities. Implementing sustainable biosecurity measures and preventive animal-health interventions not only improves animal welfare and productivity, but also helps reduce antibiotic use in livestock, thereby preserving the effectiveness of these vital medicines for human health,” she says
Virtual Campus
Get Social With Us
Download the UP Mobile App