The WHO has flagged antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a global health emergency. Analyse, and discuss the challenges present in combating AMR in India and suggest remedial measures to prevent it.(250 Words)
Refer - Financial Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
Niharika 5 years
challenges present in combating AMR in India :
remedial measures to prevent it:
IAS Parliament 5 years
Try to include some points on why AMR is declared as a global health emergency; include redline campaign, inspection by drug inspectors etc. Keep Writing.
IAS Parliament 5 years
KEY POINTS
· Many antibiotics are no longer effective in fighting infections as those infections have built up resistance to the medication.
· Deaths due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could surpass annual cancer fatalities, a situation which the UN has called a “global health emergency.”
· By 2050, some five million people could die each year in Asia alone due to resistance to antibiotic medicines or antimicrobials, according to World Health Organisation.
Challenges in combating AMR
· Aggressive prescription by doctors.
· Frequent use of antibiotic use in farm animals and pesticide use in plants.
· The unbalanced consumption of antimicrobials continues unchecked despite well-meaning initiatives of various governments, including India’s.
· Antimicrobial R&D pipeline ran dry a few decades ago, and interest from drug companies depleting due to heavy investments in R&D and the dynamic trends in AMR.
· Untreated bio-medical wastes discharged in water bodies. Eg: River Musi in Hyderabad is heavily polluted by bio-medical wates.
Remedial measures
· Effective implementation of Redline Campaign.
· India develops National Action Plan to combat Antimicrobial Resistance, which needs be covered comprehensively across the country.
· The packaging of antibiotics drugs will have mandatory Schedule H1 warning printed on the label in a box with red border and the Rx symbol in red.
· They can be sold by pharmaceutical chemists only on production of a valid prescription. Government drug inspectors can conduct surprise checks on these registers.
Niharika 5 years
cseaspirant 5 years
AntiMicrobial resistance(AMR) is a condition when the disease causing microbes develop immunity to the drugs used against them.
WHO has declared AMR as a global health emergency, as research has found a lot of microbes that have already become resistant like Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Candida Auris, E-coli , etc
while diseases caused by these microbes top the chart on the global health burden , and already struggling healthcare is constrained in eliminating them, now AMR will only worsen the health burden.
Challenges in India :
- As a first line of medication, many Indians use antibiotics without even consulting the doctor, and without even finding the main cause of the illness
- Overuse of antibiotics, and not sticking to one full course of medicine will lead to antimicrobial resistance. there is a general tendency among Indians to stop the drug course once they feel recovered
- Easy availability of antibiotics in dairy sector, indiscriminate use of fungicides in crop growth , also finds the way through human consumption.
- Doctors have also started prescribing antibiotics as a drug for all types of illness.
Steps taken in India :
- Red line campaign has been initiated to create awareness among public , to clearly indicate that the drug is antibiotic
- specific strategy like DOTS strategy for TB patients , to ensure that they follow the schedule of drug delivery
Way forward :
- Easy availability of Antibiotics should be constrained. Prescription may be made compulsory to buy these drugs.
- Knowledge gap among laymen about what is AMR, and how it will really impact everyone, should be spread be addressed
- Doctors should be advised not to give antibiotics unless tests prove that disease is due to bacteria ,etc
IAS Parliament 5 years
Good answer. Keep Writing.
Sandeep 5 years
Kindly review thanks
IAS Parliament 5 years
Try to include few points on why AMR is declared as global health emergency, prescription by doctors, unregulated usage by patients, pollution by bio-medical wastes etc. Keep Writing.
