K-12 Students Encouraged to Submit Artwork for Antibiotic Awareness Poster Competition

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Division of Public Health is accepting entries for the NC Be Antibiotic Aware Artwork Competition. Students K-12 are encouraged to submit an original poster on a theme related to antibiotic awareness, infection prevention, hand hygiene, the 3 Ws and/or COVID-19 to help educate the public on the proper use of antibiotics.

Antibiotics are life-saving medications that kill or slow down the growth of bacteria. However, overusing antibiotics can cause side effects and lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria, meaning it can no longer be killed by the medication. Some resistant bacteria can be hard or impossible to treat and can spread to other people.

Each year in the United States, more than 2.8 million infections occur from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. In response to this urgent public health threat, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services joins partners like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in raising awareness about the importance of safe antibiotic use.

The NC Be Antibiotic Aware Artwork Competition is held in conjunction with Antibiotic Awareness Week and the CDC’s national public health campaign, Be Antibiotics Aware: Smart Use, Best Care. Winning posters will be displayed on the NC DPH website and made available for printing and display in schools, local health departments and other state government buildings to support public education.

The deadline for entry into the artwork competition is Nov. 6, 2020. Students should submit their educational posters by mail to:

Deborah Dolan
225 N. McDowell Street
1902 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1902

For questions about the competition, email deborah.dolan@dhhs.nc.gov or call 919-546-1649.

More information, including rules and details on how the posters will be judged, can be found on the Division of Public Health website. To learn more about antibiotic resistance and the appropriate use of antibiotics, visit epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/antibiotics.html.