World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 18 – 24 November
World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) takes place annually between 18 and 24 November. The week aims to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and encourage best practice among the public, healthcare professionals and policymakers. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of severe illness and death.
This year’s campaign will focus on raising awareness across the general population in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (STW) and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (SSoT). An additional emphasis will be placed on parents and carers of children aged 0 to 9 years. Local prescribing data demonstrates that SSoT has some of the highest antibiotic prescribing rates for children nationally. Therefore, there is an opportunity to support parents and carers to better understand common childhood illnesses, when antibiotics are and are not needed, and how they can help keep these life-saving medicines working for future generations.
Super Bodies – what to do when your child has a common illness
Illnesses like coughs, sore throats and earache are extremely common in young children, but did you know, our children’s ‘super bodies’ are designed to fight off many common illnesses, without the need for antibiotics?
These common ailments and can be unpleasant for children and their caregivers but are most often caused by viral infections and do not need to be treated with antibiotics.
Antibiotics rarely speed up recovery for these conditions and have no effect on viruses.
Instead, our children’s ‘super bodies’ get to work, and most children with a normal immune system and up to date immunisations will recover in the same amount of time with or without antibiotics.
How to help your child get well
Find out how to care for your child when they are unwell and learn what symptoms to look out for and when to get medical help.
Cough:
How to feel better at home:
- Try to stay home and avoid contact with others if they have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to do their normal activities
- Rest and drink plenty of water
- Try hot lemon and honey (not suitable for babies under 1 year old)
- Think ’Pharmacy First’ for advice
When to visit your GP:
- Their cough lasts for more than 3 weeks
- They have a weakened immune system (for example, because of chemotherapy or diabetes)
- They are losing weight for no reason
When to call NHS 111:
- They are coughing up blood
- They find it hard to breathe
- If their cough is very bad or quickly gets worse – for example, they have a hacking cough or cannot stop coughing
- If they feel very unwell or have chest pain
- The side of their neck feels swollen and painful (swollen glands)
Find out more: www.nhs.uk/conditions/cough
Earache
How to feel better at home:
- Treat pain with age-appropriate painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen
- Place a warm or cold wet cloth on their ear
- Think ’Pharmacy First’ for advice. Pharmacies can also now give help and medication for some ear infections (acute otitis media). Children and young people aged between 1 and 17 years may be eligible to be seen at a local pharmacy.
When to visit your GP:
- They have earache for more than 3 days
- If they keep getting earache
When to call NHS 111:
- If they become generally unwell
- They have a very high temperature, or feel hot and shivery
- There is swelling around the ear
- There is fluid coming from their ear
- They have something stuck in their ear
- Hearing loss or a change in hearing
- If they are under 2 years old and have earache in both ears
Find out more: www.nhs.uk/conditions/earache
Sore throat:
How to feel better at home:
- Rest and drink plenty of water
- Try ice lollies to soothe painful throats
- Think ’Pharmacy First’ for advice. Children aged 5 and over may be eligible to be seen at a local pharmacy for help and medication for sore throats.
When to visit your GP:
- If their sore throat doesn’t improve after a week
- If they often get sore throats
When to call NHS 111:
- They have a very high temperature, or feel hot and shivery
- They have a weakened immune system (for example, because of chemotherapy or diabetes)
When to call 999 or visit A&E:
- They have difficulty breathing or are unable to swallow
- If they are drooling – this can be a sign of not being able to swallow
- They make a high-pitched sound as they breathe (called stridor)
- If their symptoms are severe or worsening quickly
Find out more: www.nhs.uk/conditions/sore-throat
You know your children best, so do seek medical help if you are concerned about their symptoms, or if their ‘super bodies’ need a bit more support because they are immunosuppressed or have other existing medical conditions.
Keeping antibiotics working for those in need
Common illnesses such as coughs, earache and sore throats don’t usually need treating with antibiotics, and your child will get better without taking unnecessary medication.
In fact, antibiotics are no longer routinely used to treat most infections, because:
- Many infections in children are caused by viruses, so antibiotics are not effective
- Antibiotics are often unlikely to speed up the healing process
- Antibiotics can cause unwanted side effects for your child, such as rash and diarrhoea
- The more often antibiotics are used to treat minor conditions, the more likely they are to become ineffective for treating more serious conditions
Antibiotic Resistance
Overuse of antibiotics means they’re becoming less effective against bacteria, and this has led to the emergence of ‘super bugs’. These are strains of bacteria that have developed resistance to many different types of antibiotics.
They can be serious and challenging to treat and are becoming an increasing cause of disability and death across the world.
Find out more about antibiotic resistance and ‘super bugs’.
Helping your child’s Super Body fight common illnesses
When your child is unwell, it’s natural to want them to get better quickly. But antibiotics are not always the answer. Many coughs, colds, sore throats and ear infections are caused by viruses, and antibiotics do not work against these illnesses. Most children will get better with rest, fluids and self-care. Self-care can include medicines that you can buy from your local pharmacy or supermarket. Using antibiotics only when they are really needed helps keep them working for the future. For advice on common childhood illnesses, visit a local community pharmacy. For more
information about keeping antibiotics working, visit – Parents urged to use antibiotics wisely this World Antimicrobial Awareness Week – Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, ICS.
This year’s local World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) campaign is focusing on parents and carers of children aged 0 to 9 years. Local data shows that antibiotic prescribing for children is higher than the national ambition of 25%. In the 12 months to July 2026, 35.4% of children aged 0 to 9 years in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent were prescribed antibiotics, followed by 28% of children in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
Many common childhood illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats and some ear infections are caused by viruses. Antibiotics do not work against viruses, and most children will get better
with rest, fluids and self-care including medicines that can be bought in pharmacies or local supermarkets.
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System
Everyone can help slow the spread of antibiotic resistance by:
– Remembering that antibiotics do not work for colds, flu and most coughs
– Only taking antibiotics when prescribed by a healthcare professional
– Taking antibiotics exactly as prescribed and taking the full course
– Never saving antibiotics for later or sharing them with others
– Returning unused antibiotics to a community pharmacy for safe disposal
Throughout November, the ICBs will be sharing information and advice to help parents and carers understand common childhood illnesses, know when to seek help, and make informed decisions about antibiotic use. Community pharmacies can give advice, support and treatment for a range of childhood illnesses.
To support this message, the ICB has created a series of short videos featuring a pharmacist, GP, patient, and microbiologist, who each discuss the risks of taking antibiotics when you don’t
need them – and how everyone can help protect themselves and their communities by using antibiotics wisely.
For more information about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, visit Antibiotics – NHS.
