National campaign for appropriate antibiotic use in Korea

The growing problem of antimicrobial resistance imposes limitations on successful treatment of infection and also has a significant socioeconomic impact. Emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms and their rapid intercontinental spread, as well as a lack of new antibiotics in the developmental pipeline, have led all stakeholders to take action. Despite reduced consumption of antimicrobials and improvement in appropriate use of antibiotics during the past decade in Korea, such efforts should be further enhanced and an increase in public awareness is needed. A public campaign for 'appropriate antibiotic use' was launched in Korea in November 2011. This campaign, organized by the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases and the Korean Society for Chemotherapy, and sponsored by the Korea CDC, the Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and the Asia Pacific Foundation for Infectious Diseases, has targeted both members of the general public and healthcare professionals. Contents include development and distribution of posters, leaflets, and e-learning programs, education of school nurses, leading to indirect education of students, and mass media campaigns. We hope that this campaign will contribute to an increase in public awareness and that it will encourage both members of the general public and healthcare professionals to join in the effort to overcome a crisis of antimicrobial resistance.