CPD Article | EQUINE
(Verwilghen 2016)
4. Public Awareness
The National Department of Health, Federation
of Infectious Diseases Societies of Southern Africa
(FIDSSA) and South African Antibiotic Stewardship
Programme (SAASP) have initiated a campaign to
improve awareness of antibiotic resistance amongst the
public and healthcare workers in South Africa.
You can help by making a pledge to become an
antibiotic guardian and encouraging others to do the
same. You can do this at: http://antibioticguardian.
com/south-africa/
A brochure to promote public awareness will be
disseminated via SAEVA for voluntary distribution to
clients.
Tweet about it with these twitter handles:
#ProtectAntibioticsZA and #AntibioticGuardian.
5. Short-course and De-Escalation Therapy
A number of randomised controlled trials have
now shown short-course antibiotic therapy to be as
effective as traditional longer courses for a number
of common bacterial infections in humans. In some
cases shorter courses have had better clinical success,
decreased adverse events and decreased development
of resistance at the site of infection.
Similar studies are lacking in equine veterinary medicine
and while we should take care in extrapolating these
data to equine practice it is likely that shorter courses are
also likely to be as effective in many clinical scenarios
in equine medicine. It is important to regularly review
cases on antibiotics and confirm whether continued
antibiotic therapy is necessary. All prescriptions should
have a stop/review date.
• Volume 21 Issue 2 | May 2019 •
33