India to tackle emerging problem of drug resistance on ‘Mission mode’
The Indian government has identified the growing incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) - the failure of drugs, as a grave public health challenge and will adopt a ‘holistic and collaborative’ approach to deal with it. According to the World Health Organisation, when a microorganism (like bacteria, viruses and some parasites) develop the ability to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics and antivirals) from working against it, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others. This is negating many 20th century advancements in healthcare globally. It is worrisome that the resistance is emerging not only in older and more frequently used classes of drugs, but is also seen in newer drugs. Given that India is a hotbed for many infectious diseases, the burden of AMR in the country can be very heavy, with social, economic and public health repercussions.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has made AMR one of its top priorities for collaboration with the WHO. Already a five-year National Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (2017-2021) has been drafted and a National Authority on Containment of AMR will be set up to ensure sustained and effective action on a national basis.
Read more about this in a story by Aarti Dhar for The India Saga, here: http://theindiasaga.com/social-sector/india-to-tackle-drug-resistance-on-a-mission-mode
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