[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
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
bac

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terial 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.
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.
BARACK OBAMA