The health ministry has enlisted the help of Amuro, the protagonist of the popular anime series ¡°Mobile Suit Gundam,¡± in its battle against the misuse and overuse of antibiotics ¡ª which can lead to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Amuro Ray¡¯s famous phrase, ¡°Amuro ikimasu!¡± (¡°Amuro is heading out!¡°), used when the pilot embarks on a flight to fight the enemy, is featured prominently on the official poster for the campaign launched on Sept. 29, albeit with a twist: ¡°AMR taisaku ikimasu!¡± (¡°AMR countermeasures are heading out!¡°).
Ministry official Hiroshi Naruse said he came up with the idea himself as he tried to figure out how to raise public awareness of the little-known acronym for antimicrobial resistance, which has lead to the prevalence of superbugs, or bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
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