look news india
Antimicrobial resistance is increasing rapidly in India, making serious diseases difficult to treat. According to the latest report of the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (AMRSN) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), common antibiotics are no longer effective against diseases like urinary tract infection (UTI), blood infection, pneumonia and typhoid.
The seventh annual report released by ICMR states that many common antibiotics (such as cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin) and levofloxacin are less than 20% effective against E.coli bacteria found in ICU and OPD patients. This bacteria causes infections in various body parts like urine, blood and respiratory tract. Similarly, bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have also developed resistance to important antibiotics such as piperacillin-tazobactam, imipenem and meropenem.
According to reports, the effectiveness of many antibiotics has decreased over time. For example, the effectiveness of piperacillin-tazobactam has declined from 56.8% in 2017 to only 42.4% in 2023. Even commonly used drugs such as amikacin and meropenem are no longer proving to be completely effective.
Alarming increase in antibiotic use and concerns
Gram-negative bacteria, which can cause infections in any part of the body, are among the most commonly found pathogens in India. Additionally, Salmonella Typhi bacteria, which causes diseases such as diarrhea and gastroenteritis, have developed more than 95% resistance to fluoroquinolone antibiotics, making typhoid difficult to treat.
The report says that strict control is needed on the use of antibiotics to prevent the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Also, it is recommended to keep unnecessary use of these drugs in agriculture under strict surveillance. This will ensure proper use of antibiotics and tackle serious problems like antibiotic resistance. This report of ICMR also points towards the increasing misuse of antibiotics in the country, which is not only causing problems in the treatment of patients but can also cause serious health problems in the future.