THE DEPARTMENT of Education supports the campaign promoting antimicrobial stewardship, especially amid the threat of Covid19.

Antimicrobial stewardship is defined as a coherent set of actions that promote the responsible use of antimicrobials, applied at the individual, national and global levels, according to the World Health Organization.

“Let us always follow the right dosage, selection, wordand the number of antimicrobials as prescribed by educated experts to advance stewardship on antimicrobials,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said.

Bureau of Learning Delivery Director Leila Areola highlighted that AMR has a direct impact on learners as they are more susceptible to infections caused by different strains of bacteria due to their age.

“We’ve been identifying entry points in the [school] curricula for possible integration in classroom discussion and activities, eventually in reaching our teaching and learning resources and materials. We’re putting premium to this action because the proper education of our youth will certainly provide significant impact in solving this concern,” Areola said.

Department of Health Program Manager to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance Johanna Mallari said teachers play an important role in strategizing effectively to help students in shaping their ideas and developing attitudes towards the prudent use of antibiotics.

“There is a need for urgent action and that includes educating our public and private care professionals on the proper or correct use of antibiotics to secure long-term availability of antibiotic treatments,” Mallari stressed.