Antimicrobial Resistance

Locations: An-Najah National University and An-Najah National University Hospital

Timeline: April, 2025

Target population: University students and healthcare workers
Field: Infectious diseases

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the three most important public health challenges of the 21st century, as stated by the World Health Organization. Antimicrobial resistance emerges when bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, making infections harder or even impossible to treat and leading to prolonged hospital stays, increased medical costs, and higher mortality rates. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics in humans, animals, and agriculture have almost similarly contributed to the rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance worldwide. Globally, antimicrobial resistance directly caused 1.27 million deaths and contributed to another 4.95 million deaths in 2019, with projections peaking at 10 million deaths annually by 2050 if actions are not taken now. In Palestine, an estimated 346 direct deaths and 1,400 associated deaths were recorded in 2019. These alarming rates calls for an urgent national effort to control antibiotic overuse, misuse, and resistance.

In response to the serious global threat of antimicrobial resistance, An-Najah Global Health Institute (GHI) will launch an awareness campaign in April 2025. This initiative will target healthcare professionals and university students and aims to enhance awareness, encourage responsible antibiotic prescribing, and promote a culture of accountability. The campaign will deliver a series of educational workshops led by infectious disease specialists. It will also involve the distribution of informative brochures and the production of a short, animated awareness video to equip both healthcare workers and the general public with key knowledge and tools to fight antimicrobial resistance effectively.

Through these interactive sessions, specialists in infectious diseases will lead discussions on the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, practical steps to fight it, and the role and responsibility of both medical professionals and the general public in this crisis. Each session will be structured to encourage open interchangeable communication to ensure that participants not only gain knowledge in a traditional approach but also develop a sense of accountability in their prescribing and usage habits.

A short, animated awareness video will also be produced as part of the campaign, depicting the dangers of antimicrobial resistance using visual elements. The video will be modeled on global antimicrobial resistance campaigns, with a duration of 15 to 30 seconds, and will be displayed on social media platforms and university screens to widen the impact of the campaign and disseminate its message to the largest proportion of the target population.