[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 16, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 80985-80986]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27758]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 221 / Wednesday, November 16, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 80985]]


                Proclamation 9541 of November 10, 2016

                
Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Since their discovery nearly nine decades ago, 
                antibiotics have transformed the world of modern 
                medicine. They have been instrumental in combating 
                previously deadly or debilitating illnesses and have 
                saved countless lives. Yet the misuse of antibiotics 
                can pose risks to public health. As antibiotics have 
                become more commonly prescribed and misused in all 
                health care settings, bacteria have developed the 
                capability to resist them, which can undermine their 
                effectiveness. Get Smart About Antibiotics Week is an 
                important opportunity to highlight the need to use 
                antibiotics responsibly.

                Antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause tens of thousands 
                of deaths each year in the United States alone, and 
                millions of Americans contract antibiotic-resistant 
                illnesses that are difficult and expensive to treat. A 
                major factor contributing to the emergence of 
                antibiotic resistance is the inappropriate use of 
                antibiotics, which are among the most frequently 
                prescribed medicines and are also given to animals that 
                are used for food. When a person takes antibiotics for 
                a bacterial infection, bacteria sensitive to that 
                medicine are generally destroyed or prevented from 
                growing further--but bacteria that are resistant to 
                that antibiotic will multiply, making current or future 
                bacterial infections even worse and harder to treat. 
                When antibiotics are used inappropriately, including 
                when they are not needed--such as for treating viral 
                infections like the common cold, or used in wrong doses 
                or for the wrong period of time--the likelihood of 
                antibiotic resistance is greatly increased, reducing 
                the effectiveness of these antibiotics in the future. 
                Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and infections cost our 
                country tens of billions of dollars in health care 
                expenses, but more importantly, if we lose effective 
                antibiotic options for treating people, more patients 
                will be put at risk--unless we act now.

                That is why my Administration has taken action to 
                reduce the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant 
                bacteria and help ensure the continued availability of 
                effective therapeutics for the treatment of bacterial 
                infections. In 2014, I signed an Executive Order that 
                created the Task Force for Combating Antibiotic-
                Resistant Bacteria, established an interagency approach 
                to improve our Nation's antibiotic use, and built a 
                framework to strengthen surveillance systems so 
                important data on antibiotic-resistant bacteria can 
                more easily be shared and tracked to prevent and 
                control infections. We also launched the National 
                Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant 
                Bacteria, through which we are working to slow the 
                emergence of resistant bacteria and accelerate research 
                efforts to develop alternative treatments, diagnostic 
                tools, and vaccines. Last year, with recognition that 
                our public health is connected to the health of animals 
                and the environment, especially with regards to the 
                spread of disease, we hosted the White House Forum on 
                Antibiotic Stewardship to bring together key human and 
                animal health stakeholders to identify successful 
                strategies and opportunities for collaboration. We must 
                continue working with food producers, health care 
                providers, leaders in the private sector, and the 
                American people to improve our antibiotic use.

[[Page 80986]]

                With a sustained commitment to promoting the 
                appropriate use of antibiotics, we can address this 
                growing public health problem. In September, the United 
                Nations General Assembly pledged their commitment to 
                international cooperation to combat this global threat 
                to human health, development, and security, and heads 
                of states came together to commit to initiating, 
                increasing, and sustaining awareness of antimicrobial 
                resistance. This week, we resolve to improve awareness 
                of the threat of antibiotic resistance to our public 
                health, and we encourage medical professionals to 
                prescribe, and patients to use, antibiotics 
                responsibly. Let us ensure that future generations can 
                access safe and effective antibiotics, and together let 
                us address the harmful effects of antibiotic 
                resistance.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim November 13 through 
                November 19, 2016, as Get Smart About Antibiotics Week. 
                I call upon the scientific community, medical 
                professionals, educators, businesses, industry leaders, 
                and all Americans to observe this week by promoting the 
                responsible use of antibiotics and raising awareness of 
                the dangers inherent in their misuse and overuse.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-first.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-27758
Filed 11-15-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F7-P