The Pint of Science @ Antibiotic Awareness Week 2020

By Natinee Kulpijit and Phaik Yeong Cheah

The Pint of Science @ Antibiotic Awareness Week 2020 was a special 3-hour event held on 17 November 2020 in Bangkok, and organised to coincide with the Thailand Antibiotic Awareness Week (AAW) and World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). Thailand’s AAW aims to increase awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. Thailand’s AAW was initiated in 2013 by the Drug System Monitoring and Development Center (DMD) and stakeholders as an activity to tackle the problem of AMR in Thailand.

In 2017, the consumption of antimicrobial agents in Thailand was 6,850 tonnes. 2,162 tonnes (or 32%) of this was used for human consumption, and 4,688 tonnes (or 68%) was used for consumption in animal and agriculture.

Three experts talked about the different aspects of AMR: Associate Professor Direk Limmathurotsakul from the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), Assistant Professor Niyada Kiatying-Angsulee from Drug System Monitoring Mechanism Development Centre, and Rattanasiri Kittikongnapang from Greenpeace Thailand. The event was attended by nearly 40 people in person and live streamed on Facebook. Click here for more information on the talks.

Pint of Science is a global festival that brings scientists to share their latest research with the general public. Pint of Science Thailand is organized by MORU.