Antibiotic Awareness Campaign – Bangladesh (BMSS)

Name of the activity: Antibiotic Awareness Campaign

Country/NMO: Bangladesh (BMSS)

Program: Communicable Diseases

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Campaign

General description:

The activity is completely relevant to the 8th objective of the program i.e. To educate medical students and the general public on the mechanisms, epidemiology, and impact of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).It also helps medical students to connect with governmental and non-governmental organizations to facilitate joint advocacy, program development and implementation Antimicrobial Resistance. The Training programs equips medical students with the tools to critically examine antimicrobial strategies locally,regionally & nationally and advocate for changes to antimicrobial stewardship practices that increase AMR.

Focus area:

Reduce incidence of Antimicrobial Resistance

Problem statement:

In Bangladesh, antibiotics are prescribed the most in cases of acute respiratory tract infections, acute watery diarrhea, acute trauma and gastrointestinal symptoms. The most prescribed antibiotics are Ceftriaxone (30.1%), Cefixime (18.87%) and Amoxycillin (16.98%). More than 50% resistance was found against pseudomonas aeruginosa infections with commonly used antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, ceftriaxone and cefixime. Azithromycin could not show any effectiveness in wound and urine infections, while ceftriaxone -cefixime was cent percent ineffective in tracheal infections there. E. coli was observed to be resistant in 40% of cases to the commonly used antibiotics- ceftriaxone, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin, ampicillin and 95% resistant to azithromycin. The same pattern was observed in Klebsiella Pneumoniae. Over the year, shigellosis has developed great propensity to resistance . Cholera, one of the most prevalent and threatening water borne diseases of the country, has eventually acquired resistance against tetracycline.
A research by Johns Hopkins University explored that 67% of hospitalized patients in Bangladesh received antibiotics, even though in at least 50 % cases they were not required.
Antibiotic resistance is endangering the Sustainable Development Goals globally, is a matter of serious concern in a lower middle income country like Bangladesh.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

We will be interacting with medical students,patients and relative of patients specially in the government hospitals. By engaging medical students we will provide them with the idea of how important it is to prescribe antibiotics properly. These medical students are going to be future doctors, we believe if we can spread awareness from root level of medical studies, the campaign will be more fruitful.

On the other hand patients and relative of the patients will be handled more in the awareness side.

Hopefully if we find proper circumstance we also plan reach schools from different area of Bangladesh arranging seminars on antibiotic resistance among students and parents.

Objectives and indicators of success:

• Antibiotic Awareness Campaign: Creative Idea Competition (21st November 2017-5thDecember 2017) (Done already)
• A survey was carried at Satkhira Medical College Hospital on estimated 40 patients regarding their knowledge about Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance ( 22nd November 2017)
• Training and Cross Sectional Research of current situation of Antibiotic Resistance from 4 Government hospitals in Bangladesh. ( 20thFebruary-20thApril 2018) (Obj: to know current situation of antibiotic resistance in Bangladesh; Success Indicators: LO of these respective 4 medical colleges have agreed to participate, we also have trainers ready, the given time is suitable has been planned keeping in mind the availability of the participants and trainers)
• School Based Awareness Program. (1stJuly-1st September 2018) (Obj: To reach School students and their parents, guide them about proper use of antibiotics and situation arising from antibiotic resistance; Success Indicators: We have contacted few schools and they are very much interested, summer vacation ends during this time so maximum outreach is expected)

Methodology:

1)As we can see our activity is basically training medical students and spreading awareness among non medical population. For achieving both we at first need the respective population which we have already gathered through the Antibiotic Awareness Campaign: Creative Idea Competition held on 21st November 2017-5th December 2017.
2)We have trainers,hospitals schools who are interested to carry out the program.
3)Our activity is expected to end in September, which gives us a very good time to implement all the planned objectives properly.
4) Antibiotic Resistance Awareness is still not properly spread in Bangladesh.The activity will make an impact in the health sector of Bangladesh.
5)The activity concerns SDG, which will increase more interest.

Plans for evaluation:

Pre evaluation- To access the idea, knowledge of general people and medical students regarding Antibiotic Resistance ( A survey was also carried at Satkhira Medical College Hospital on estimated 40 patients regarding their knowledge about Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance and a nation online Antibiotic Awareness Campaign was held on 21st November 2017-5th December 2017)

Post Evaluation-1) We plan to create a report on Current situation of Antibiotic Resistance in Bangladesh
2) Medical Students, LOs participating in the activity will be accessed as a part of their training program.