Terming antimicrobial resistance {AMR} as an ‘active volcano’, health experts have warned that the adverse impact of irrational use of antibiotics in Covid patients will manifest itself in future. They cited a review study that claimed that while there was only 6.9 percent of 3,338 Covid-19 patients with bacterial infection, 72 percent of them had received antibiotics.
AMR occurs when microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to medicines, making infections difficult to treat.
The WHO has declared AMR- as one of the top 10 global health threats. Many factors have accelerated the threat of AMR worldwide, including overuse and misuse of medicines in humans, livestock and agriculture, as well as poor access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
This year during the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (November 18-24), ‘Go Blue’ campaign intends to raise awareness on AMR.
“Having good infection control is key to dealing with AMR,” said Dr Haileysus Getahun, director of the Department of Global Coordination and Partnership on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) at WHO.
At a virtual global media forum to observe World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, Joseph Thomas, head of Antimicrobial Stewardship and Awareness at WHO headquarters, said, “AMR is undermining a century of progress in medicine; infections that were previously treatable and curable with our drugs are becoming (or at risk of becoming) incurable (as medicines are not working against infections).
“Even common infections are becoming risky and a problem. Surgeries are becoming risky and the cause of all this is found in the behaviour of human beings who are misusing or overusing antimicrobials. We must ensure that when we are sick we are only taking antimicrobials on medical advice and medical supervision.”
According to World Bank estimates, by 2050, unless urgent action is taken, AMR is expected to cause at least 10 million deaths annually and cause a 3.8 percent reduction in annual gross domestic product (GDP). AMR could force 24 million more people to extreme poverty by 2030. The world’s poorest people –those living in low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately vulnerable.
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia said, “So much is at stake. AMR threatens to send us back to a time when we could not easily treat common infections. It is already making health care more costly, less efficient, causing avoidable morbidity and mortality, and exacerbating health, social and economic inequities.”
Dr Kamini Walia, scientist at Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and who is leading the setting up of the council’s antimicrobial surveillance network, said that AMR surveillance is important because it provides us with evidence of the disease burden in the country and how AMR trends are changing with time.
