18 November: join the European Antibiotic Awareness Day event online!
ECDC, in coordination with the European Commission, is organising an EU-level launch event to mark the 9th European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD).
The event will take place on 18 November from 09:30 to 13:00 in Brussels. Speakers such as Dr Vytenis Andriukaitis (EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety), Mr Martin Seychell (Deputy Director-General for Health and Food Safety), Dr Ruxandra Draghia-Akli (Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation), Dr Danilo Lo Fo Wong (Programme Manager, control of antimicrobial resistance, World Health Organization Regional for Europe) will take part, together with representatives from the European Medicines Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, and ECDC.
In addition to his speech, Commissioner Andriukaitis will announce the shortlisted candidates for the European Health Award for NGOs fighting antimicrobial resistance and for the Horizon Prize for better use of antibiotics.
The title of the event is “The future is now”, and the planned interventions will not only present the current situation and future steps at EU level, but will also aim at highlighting how resistance to antibiotics is affecting our lives today and what can be done by different sectors to ensure that antibiotics remain effective.
As in previous years, the professional organisations working in the area of antimicrobial resistance will have a role in the event. They will be asked to participate through Twitter and ask questions. Maryn McKenna, a US-based journalist and author with a deep interest in antimicrobial resistance, will be the moderator and will ensure that many participants have the opportunity to share their views and highlight their contributions to tackle this issue.
The event will be web streamed and ECDC will be tweeting live. Everyone can join by sending questions from their personal or corporate accounts to @EAAD_EU, using the hashtag #EAAD2016.