SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will observe national Antibiotic Awareness Week starting this upcoming Monday. The annual U.S. event, lasting from Nov. 18-24, is intended to increase public knowledge about the importance of careful use of antibiotics in order to prevent antimicrobial resistance, where bacteria and other germs develop an immunity to the drugs that are designed to fight them.