Drug war: On use of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance

Contact Counsellor

Last Updated07/01/2024

The ‘First Multicentric Point Prevalence Survey of Antibiotic Use at 20 NAC-NET Sites India 2021-22’ reveals alarming statistics.
It was conducted by the National Centre for Disease Control under the Health Ministry

Over 70% of patients in tertiary-care hospitals across 15 States and two UTs were prescribed antibiotics.
More than 50% of prescribed antibiotics have the potential to cause Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
55% of patients received antibiotics as prophylaxis or as a preventive, while only 45% were prescribed antibiotics for actual infection treatment.
- A mere 6% of patients received antibiotics after identifying the specific bacteria causing the infection.

AMR occurs when pathogens evolve, rendering themselves resistant to drugs and unresponsive to antimicrobial treatment.
Unsound medical and animal husbandry practices contribute to the escalating crisis.
The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials cause the development of drug-resistant pathogens that in turn pose great risk to life and exacerbate morbidity.
WHO estimates that bacterial AMR directly caused 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.
AMR compromises the effectiveness of medical procedures like surgery, caesarean sections and cancer chemotherapy.

Specialists emphasise the need for rational antibiotic prescriptions and restrictions on drug use to promote growth in animals and plants.
Urgent measures are required to develop new drug candidates, and more equitable access to them to address the antibiotic research and development pipeline crisis.
Both doctors and the government play crucial roles in regulating drug use, especially the government.
Patients' expectations of immediate relief should also be tempered with an understanding of the complexities of medical science.
Strict regulation of antimicrobial use and increased funding for antibiotic research are essential in the battle against AMR.