Antibiotics have saved millions of lives since they were first discovered1 – but a world without antibiotics could be closer than we think.
If we do not act today, it’s estimated that 10 million lives a year could be put at risk due to the rise of drug-resistant infections by 2050.2 That’s why we need to work together to find solutions to ensure that future generations continue to benefit from these life-saving medicines.
As part of our efforts, we developed ‘Superbugs: Join the Fight’ – a school programme designed to educate students across the country about antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The programme has been developed in partnership with the National Schools Partnership, a unique network of teachers, education experts and school leaders.
Visit the National Schools Partnership website to register your school and gain access to a wide range of age appropriate resources available for teachers to use in class or assemblies to bring this subject to life.
Our annual 'Superbugs: Join the Fight' competition entry forms are included in the registration pack, enabling your students to take part. Competition entry is open until May 3rd, 2024.
Annual school competition - 'Superbugs: Join the Fight'
Since 2019, we have been running our annual Superbugs: Join the Fight competition. Each year we ask students to help us tell the world about superbugs in a creative, memorable way. For our 2023/24 programme we are challenging students to design a superhero to help the world conquer the superbug supervillian!
Every year the competition runs from November to May and we have a panel of expert judges - including members from the Great Ormond Street Hospital, Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK), and more. From a shortlist of entries, the judges choose a winner and runner-up for three age groups across Key Stage 1, 2 and 3, who then receive a prize. This year's prize is a fantastic in-school creative workshop that will help develop your students' ideas into something powerful that can change the world!
Antimicrobial resistance: A global threat
No one person or organisation can fix the AMR problem on their own. From pharmaceutical companies to healthcare organisations, and policy makers to the general public, we all have a responsibility to protect the future of antibiotics.
We’re committed to raising public awareness of this global threat through initiatives like the ‘Superbugs: Join the Fight’ school programme, as well as working with government, healthcare workers and other organisations across the globe to tackle this urgent public health threat.
RESPONSIBILITY
We've launched a national campaign which aims to help us all feel empowered to change the course of antimicrobial resistance.
We sponsored the "Superbugs: the Fight for Our Lives" exhibition, which explored the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
References
HM Government. Tackling antimicrobial resistance 2019–2024. Published Jan 2019.
AMR Review. Tackling drug-resistant infections globally: final report and recommendation. Published May 2016.