City of Hyderabad joins ‘Go Blue’ campaign as part of WAAW Activities

2021-11-24

Several buildings in Hyderabad, capital of Telangana state in India, will be lit blue on 24 November as part of the World Health Organization’s ‘Go Blue’ campaign to raise awareness on antimicrobial resistance. ReAct Asia Pacific was one of the co-organizers among many other activities in the region set up by ReAct Asia Pacific.

The city authorities have agreed to light “Mozamjahee Market” in the old city  and the “Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge” in Hitech city in blue. Besides, the University of Hyderabad (UOH) is also planning to light blue  the campus main entrance.

The  ‘Go Blue’ campaign, globally launched by the WHO, FAO and OIE,  is part of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), which is celebrated from 18-24 November every year. Along with ReAct Asia Pacific, organizers of the campaign in Hyderabad include the WHO Country Office for India, UNICEF India, Superheroes against Superbugs, University of Hyderabad and the Infection Control Academy of India.

Antimicrobial resistance identified as a priority by Government of Telangana

A letter has been written by the organizers to the Governor of Telangana requesting to light the official residence, Raj Bhawan in Blue. Antimicrobial resistance has been identified as a priority by Government of Telangana.

Telangana is one of the Indian states where ReAct Asia Pacific has been mobilizing stakeholders, including government bodies, academics, health professionals and civil society members to develop state action plans to supplement the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance that has been adopted by the Indian government.

Start up meetings set up by ReAct Asia Pacific

Under India’s federal setup health comes under the purview of state governments and several states have already drawn up plans to tackle antimicrobial resistance, some of them with support from ReAct Asia Pacific. In October this year ReAct Asia Pacific had organized start up meetings in Hyderabad, Puducherry and Shillong, as part of efforts to kickstart the process of framing state action plans in different states in India.

WAAW competition: Student Research Champions for AMR

In other activities ReAct Asia Pacific, together with ASPIC clubs, organized the second edition of Student Research Champions for AMR ’21, a competition among university students, who presented research proposals on AMR-related themes. The proposals were evaluated by an international jury for awards in the two categories – undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Photography competition

ReAct Asia Pacific and ASPIC clubs also organized a photography competition for students on the themes of antibiotic pollution, zoonotic diseases, self-medication, over-the-counter use, climate change & antibiotic resistance.This is the fifth edition of the photography competition, which has now become the integral part of the national WAAW calendar.

Pilot of training manual for high school students

During awareness week, a training manual to bring improved understanding and change in the way students perceive health, medicines and antibiotic resistance, was piloted at a rural high school in Kerala state of India. The activities and outcomes of the modules are primarily aimed at engaging high school students to take action on antimicrobial resistance. Topics covered by the manual include One Health, the human microbiome, hygiene, infections and appropriate medicine use.