WORLD ANTIMICROBIAL AWARENESS WALK 2021

Pharmacy Students from the University of Nairobi flooded the streets on the 19TH of November, 2021 to mark the peak of the Antibiotic Resistance Awareness Week, in a fun filled campaign aimed at sensitizing the public on the proper use of medication and the progressing nuisance that is bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The students marched from their school singing rhymes created and fanned by the need at the moment.

“WHO ARE WE?”

“WE ARE PHARMACISTS!!!!”

“SENSITIZING?”

“ANTIBIOTIC RESSISTANCE!!!!!!”

“STOP WHAT?”

“SELF MEDICATION!!!”

“THE MORE YOU USE?”

“THE MORE WE LOSE!!!”

“SHARE MEMES…”

“NOT ANTIBIOTICS!!!”

“AMOXIL SI YA HOMA”

The campaign, organized by the students, was flagged off by the Unit head Pharmacology and Pharmacognosy DR. Margret Oluka. In attendance also was Professor George Osanjo from the department of Pharmacology. The NUPSA Chair, Arusei Bryan hinted that the success of the entire event was hinged upon the commitment of the students to participate and donate materials necessary to run the course of the walk. He further encouraged the members to reach out and engage with the people on the roads in accordance with the theme of the WAAW “SPREAD AWARENESS STOP RESISTANCE”

The participants, upon request, complied to take pictures with their smart phones before posting the images on the various social media platforms tagging relevant handles, tweeting, retweeting and sharing widely under several hash tags including

#UONANTIMICROBIALAWERENESSWALK,

#BACTERIAMUSTFALL,

#SHAREMEMESNOTANTIBIOTICS.

At Milimani Law Courts, onlookers marveled at the performance standards being set by the students from the top notch University in Kenya. Sweat trickling down faces, tired to the bone, still, unbowed, proclaiming the gospel of their truth to whoever cared to listen. Shouting their voices sore without the aid of voice amplifiers, dancing to the music of their unanimous message: stop misuse of antibiotics.

The walk came to an end at the Sarova Panafric Hotel where the students joined their senior colleagues in the profession, in a discussion organized by the Ministry of Health to shed light on Antibiotic use in Kenya.