The Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (Moru) has joined hands with Greenpeace Thailand and World Animal Protection to launch an antibiotic consumption calculator in a bid to encourage people to reduce the use of the medication.
The Antibiotic Footprint Individual Calculator is an interactive platform on the “antibioticfootprint.net/calculator/th” website, which was launched for Thailand’s World Antimicrobial Awareness Week event from Thursday until next Friday.
The platform aims to encourage people to learn about how to properly use antibiotics, as the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns their overuse.
Dr Direk Limmathurotsakul, head of Microbiology at Moru, on Thursday said the idea of the website came from the concept of the Carbon Footprint Individual Calculator.
Website visitors will be able to gauge their own antibiotic footprint to compare with others from around the world, which can help them reduce the use of the medicine, Dr Direk said.
Thailand is the top country for antibiotic consumption at an average of 38.56 grammes per person each year.
Nevertheless, the consumption of antibiotics was also being used among livestock, which led to drug resistance.
Rattanasiri Kittikongnapang, a campaigner for Greenpeace, said 70% of consumption of antibiotics in Thailand was being used among livestock, while 30% was for humans.