Schools’ antimicrobial resistance: National Advice to the Public campaign – a pilot study

The recent Standing Medical Advisory Committee’s report The Path of Least Resistance advised a National Advice to the Public campaign aimed at minimising the development of antimicrobial resistance. Describes two 90 minute interactive workshops entitled “Antibiotics and your good bugs” for Year 5 children (nine‐to‐ten years old). Before the workshops, 45 per cent of the children correctly answered all the questions describing antibiotics but, after the workshops, 73 per cent answered correctly. Before the workshops only 23 per cent, 43 per cent, 28 per cent and 26 per cent of the children respectively knew that antibiotics do not kill viruses, do not help colds, do not help hay fever, but do kill our good bacteria, compared with 47 per cent, 76 per cent, 77 per cent and 69 per cent afterwards. These workshops greatly improved the children’s knowledge and understanding of antibiotics and our normal flora. They will prove useful for parties involved in planning the National Advice to the Public campaign on antibiotic resistance in schools.