UB organizes a week of events to reveal the dangers of overconsumption of antibiotics

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The human body is home to five kilos of micro-organisms; most are useful and others can make us sick. The University of Buffalo aims to educate you on these topics during Mind Your Microbiome Week and Be Antibiotics Aware.

Held during US Antibiotic Awareness Week (UDC) – Nov. 12-18 – the program, now in its third year, promotes awareness of the microbiome and raises public awareness of the long-term effects of overuse. antibiotics.

The events are organized in partnership between the UB Excellence Community in Genome, Environment and Microbiome (GEM), the CDC and the Erie County Department of Health.

"The GEM community is committed to publicizing the microbes that live in us, on and around us. Many of them are important to our own well-being and are threatened by the inappropriate use of antibiotics, "said Jennifer Surtees, PhD, co-director of GEM and Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry. the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. .

"At the same time, we need to be able to fight very harmful microbes with antibiotics. This delicate balance is important for everyone to understand. "

The overuse of antibiotics – both in our foods and those prescribed to treat infections – has led to a growing prevalence of strains of resistant and hard-to-treat bacteria. According to CDC research, nearly 80% of Americans are prescribed at least one antibiotic each year, but half of these prescriptions are useless or ineffective.

By raising awareness of these issues, Mind Your Microbiome and Be Be Antibiotics Aware allows people to make better choices for their health.

GEM will work in partnership with the Buffalo Science Museum and the Erie County Department of Health to organize Pushing Back: Antimicrobial Resistance, an evening focused on the misdeeds of abuse. antibiotics and the state of research on the microbiome.

The event is scheduled on Wednesday 14 November from 19h to 21h. at the Buffalo Science Museum, 1020 Humboldt Parkway, Buffalo. Gale R. Burstein, Erie County Health Commissioner, and Robert J. Genco, DDS, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Director of the UB Microbiome Center, will be among the guest speakers.

Participation is free with entry to the museum. For more information, visit sciencebuff.org.

"As part of our ever-expanding programming, the Buffalo Science Museum is pleased to organize this dialogue with health professionals and medical researchers on current scientific knowledge on the use of antibiotics and public health, "said Marisa Wigglesworth, President and CEO of the Buffalo Society. natural sciences.

GEM also collaborates with student groups in the Erie County Department of Health, UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and with the community involvement of the UB Community Engagement Center Clinical and Translational Science Institute to provide outreach materials in English and Spanish in public libraries, medical clinics and offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

UB students will visit local colleges and high schools to organize interactive activities that will show how antibiotics target bacterial infections, are ineffective against viruses and can damage the microbiome by eliminating the good bacteria.

To learn more about GEM or Mind Your Microbiome and Be Warned About Antibiotics, visit https://bit.ly/2onxQPI.