Join the Fight the Fakes Week between 4 – 10 December 2023, to raise awareness about the dangers of substandard and falsified medicines. This year, our focus is on Africa, where approximately 1 in 10 medical products are substandard or falsified, leading to nearly 500,000 deaths annually in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
That’s why we call on Africa to Speak Up and Stand Up!
- Raise awareness about the risks and impact of substandard and falsified medicines in Africa.
- Share knowledge and best practices to safeguard African patients from fake and substandard medicines.
Actions:
- Collaborate with us on publishing an open letter. Send us an email to get started.
- Participate in the social media challenge “Clap for Quality” to draw attention to the importance of quality healthcare, using the hashtag #ClapForQuality, check the guidelines below.
- Organise educational activities or competitions. See examples from a previous edition here.
- Set up information stalls or booths.
- Share a presentation about this issue to your colleagues. You can see here an example, let us know if you would like to tailor it.
- Organise a workshop or lecture.
- Organise a panel discussion.
- Host informational live streams on social media.
- Support the Fight the Fakes Alliance online campaign #StopFakeMedsAfrica on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn (TBC if other channels will be added).
- Assist the Fight the Fakes Alliance Secretariat by translating communication materials into your language and sharing them.
- Publish a dedicated article in your organisation’s newsletter or website.
Target Audience:
- International/Regional organisations, ministries, regulatory authorities, and healthcare providers
- Civil society, healthcare professionals, universities, and the general public
Do you happen to have any other brilliant ideas up your sleeve? Don't hold back—feel totally empowered to put them into action!
Download the Fight the Fakes Week Playbook!
This playbook provides an overview of the Fight the Fakes Week 2023 campaign and ways to get involved.
Spread awareness with our message bubbles!
Take a selfie or a picture with your friends holding up an awareness message for Fight the Fakes Week!
1. Download several versions of the message bubble here
2. Print the one you like on in A4 format
3. Take a selfie or a picture with your friends holding the printed message
4. Share it on your social media channel between 4 – 10 December 2023 5. Make sure you use one or all of these hashtags: #StopFakeMedsAfrica #FTFWeek #FightTheFakes
Join our flagship online event!
We are organizing a flagship online event to mark the 6th Fight the Fakes Week taking place from 4th to 10th December 2023. This week-long event presents a significant opportunity for us to come together and raise awareness about the pressing issue of substandard and falsified medicines.
Under the theme of ‘Africa Together Against Substandard and Falsified Medicines‘ and the Call to Action ‘Africa – Speak Up – Stand Up’, we aim to unite our efforts and strengthen our collective impact in combating this critical problem.
Confirmed speakers:
– Michel Sidibe, African Union Special Envoy for the African Medicines Agency
– Prof. Cyril Odianose Usifoh, University of Benin, Nigeria
– Richard Neci Cizungu, Executive Director, Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network
– Adesanya Oluwaseun Adedotun, Assistant Director of the Drug Division in the Post Market Surveillance DGO NAFDAC, WHO Focal Point for Substandard and Falsified Medical Products, Goodwill Ambassador of Fight the Fakes Alliance
– Noha Abdelaziz, Teaching Assistant, New Giza University and Fight the Fakes Chapter
– Oksana Pyzik, Pharmacist & Lecturer/Global Engagement Lead at the UCL School of Pharmacy, Fight the Fakes Academic Chair (moderator)
… and more to be confirmed soon!
Join the #ClapForQuality Challenge
We are planning a social media challenge “Clap for Quality” aiming to draw attention to the victims of substandard and falsified medicines and highlight the importance of quality-ensured medicines, through videos published on social media channels of individuals and groups clapping, and using the hashtag #ClapForQuality.
Why? Over the past year, the World Health Organization has issued several medical alerts for substandard and falsified medical products, most of them related to medication used to relieve symptoms associated with the common cold, flu, and allergic rhinitis. The news of cough syrups contaminated with diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent used in antifreeze and known to cause death ever since the 1930s, has led to over 300 known child deaths, with potentially more victims yet to be reported. However, the public health issue of substandard and falsified medicines extends far beyond what we can easily quantify, with wide-ranging socio-economic impacts.
By participating in this challenge, you will help to raise awareness about the critical need for quality-ensured medicines, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries. Clapping represents an appreciation for life and in this case, we propose to show appreciation for quality healthcare, particularly quality-ensured medicines, serving as a symbolic gesture of solidarity with the victims.
The social media challenge is part of the Fight the Fakes Week campaign, scheduled to take place between 4 – 10 December 2023.
7 steps to join the #ClapForQuality social media challenge
1.
Create a compelling video of you or your friends, family, or colleagues while clapping, there are no particular instructions about the clapping;
For example:
- You can be creative and use a background song and dance while clapping.
- You can organise a clapping session at your school, at work, or in a family context, on the street, or anywhere you want, as long as the clapping is seen or heard.
2.
Use the main campaign hashtag #ClapForQuality in your post and in the video, as well as #FightTheFakes #FTFWeek #StopFakeMedsAfrica to gain wider visibility as the challenge is part of the wider Fight the Fakes Week campaign.
3.
Ensure that it is clear why you are clapping by explaining it in your post or video.
For example:
- I join the #ClapForQuality challenge because I care about receiving quality-ensured medicines, and everyone else deserves to receive them no matter where they live!
4.
You can give more context and emphasise the impact of substandard and falsified medicines on people’s lives.
For example:
- Falsified and substandard medicines are claiming lives, so we claim quality-ensured medicines! More than 300 known child deaths have been reported due to contaminated cough syrup in the past year.
- 1 in 10 medical products in low-and-middle-income countries are substandard or falsified, let’s speak-up and ask for quality medicines for all.
- Every year, there are about 200 million cases of malaria, resulting in almost half a million deaths annually. If you think that 60% of antimalarials circulating in sub-Saharan Africa could be substandard and falsified, imagine how many people could how many more lives could be saved if they would receive the genuine, quality-ensured medicines!
- 40% of all substandard and falsified medicines reports between 2013 and 2021 were from Africa. Africa deserves better! Let’s unite for genuine medicines and a healthier future.
- Fake medicines kill almost 500,000 sub-Saharan Africans a year. Every voice counts! Let’s raise ours to eradicate substandard and falsified medicines and save countless lives.
5.
Record your video before if you don’t have time during 4-10 December 2023.
6.
Publish your video on your preferred social media channel between 4 and 10 December 2023.
7.
Encourage others to join the challenge.
We highly encourage you to let us know about your actions as we believe that the more, the better. Your participation is valuable, and we would love to hear from you. We will be glad to provide any possible support for your activity, including assistance with publicity via the Fight the Fakes Alliance online channels.
The communications toolkit will be made available on this page soon! Get in touch if you need more information.