This year’s
U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) will take place November 18-24, 2023. The purpose of USAAW is to raise awareness of the importance of appropriate antibiotic and antifungal use and the threat of antimicrobial resistance. Any time antibiotics or antifungals are used, they can cause side effects and contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance, one of the most urgent threats to the public’s health. More than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur in the United States each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. Preventing infections from happening in the first place is one of the best ways to improve antibiotic and antifungal use and protect populations who are disproportionately affected by antimicrobial resistance.