As every year, the World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (18-24 November 2025) is raising awareness of the need to take action in the face of this public health challenge. The FAMHP is also actively working on this challenge.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when certain microbes - such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites - no longer react to antimicrobial medicines. This means that the usual treatments for these microbial infections, such as antibiotics and other antimicrobials, become less effective or even useless.
Infections then become more difficult to treat, can be transmitted, last longer and lead to serious complications.
What does the FAMHP do?
The Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) is actively working to ensure that healthcare professionals can continue to use the right medicines, at the right time and in the right quantities.
Here are a few concrete examples
• National collaboration. The FAMHP is actively involved in setting up and monitoring a national plan to combat AMR. This plan is being implemented in collaboration with other Belgian institutions such as the FPS Public Health, the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI), Sciensano and the regions. Together, these partners are considering the best strategies for protecting human, animal and environmental health.
• European collaboration. The FAMHP is participating in a European project called EU-JAMRAI 2 (the 2nd edition of the European Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections). This project brings together European Union countries to work together to improve access to antimicrobial treatments, as well as preventive solutions such as vaccination.
• Access to new treatments. The FAMHP's activities are aimed at making new antimicrobial medicines available and keeping older ones accessible on the Belgian market.
• Availability of medicinal products. The agency monitors the risks of shortages and acts to ensure that antimicrobial medicines remain available. It helps doctors and pharmacists find alternative solutions when a medicine is unavailable.
• Unit-dose dispensing of your antibiotics. A new measure is in preparation. This will enable pharmacists to provide you with exactly the right amount of antibiotics for your treatment. In practical terms, the pharmacist will be able to open the box, take out the quantity of antibiotics needed for your treatment and store the rest safely for another patient. The aim of this approach is to ensure that the prescription is followed correctly, but also to prevent leftovers from being thrown away and ending up in the environment.
• Clear and reliable information. To help patients and the general public better understand their treatment, the FAMHP provides comprehensible information on medicines and other health products via the pharmainfo.be website.
How can we, as patients or citizens, take action against AMR?
The fight against AMR does not just concern healthcare professionals. Everyone can contribute to limiting antimicrobial resistance.
• Use antibiotics correctly. Never take antibiotics without medical advice. Always follow your doctor's or pharmacist's recommendations: take all the doses prescribed and respect the way they are taken (time, frequency, duration).
• Do not dispose of your medicines in the environment. Take out-of-date or unused medicines back to your pharmacy. This prevents pollution and protects public health.
• Think about prevention and get vaccinated. Vaccination is essential to protect yourself and those around you against certain infections caused by viruses or bacteria.
• Protect yourself at any age. There are vaccines for every stage of life, to prevent diseases such as measles, whooping cough, tetanus and HPV.
• Get ready for winter. Vaccination against influenza and the virus responsible for COVID-19 reduces the risk of complications and transmission, particularly in vulnerable people.
• Prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Vaccination against certain STIs, such as hepatitis B or human papillomavirus (HPV), helps to improve sexual health and avoid long-term health problems.
What does the FAMHP do?
The Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) is actively working to ensure that healthcare professionals can continue to use the right medicines, at the right time and in the right quantities.
More information
• World AMR Awareness Week on the WHO website
• WAAW:World AMR Awareness Week on the FPS Public Health website