When simple infections become difficult to treat...
When simple infections become difficult (or impossible) to treat, then it is a completely preventable catastrophe for the people and communities. This is also undoing the historic gains made in modern science as no one wants to slide back to pre-antibiotic era, says Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA).
Former WHO Chief Scientist and former ICMR Director General Dr Soumya Swaminathan shared: "This is an important message and warning from the Indian PM. Over the counter use of medicines, unnecessary use of antibiotics, rampant use (of antimicrobial medicines) in agricultural and livestock sectors, improper disposal from pharmaceutical factories and hospitals, and ability of bacteria to develop resistant mutations all contribute to AMR."
We have to stop misuse and overuse of medicines - be it antibiotics (which work against bacterial infections like TB), anti-fungal medicines (which work against fungal diseases), anti-viral medicines (which work against viral infections like HIV) or anti-parasitic medicines (which work against diseases like malaria). We also have to stop misuse and overuse of antimicrobial medicines in all sectors, because the problem of misuse and overuse of medicines is rampant in them - such as human health, animal health or livestock, food and agriculture and our environment, says GAMA.
WHO AMR Director commends India's political commitment
"We have been very happy to note that the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has made explicit reference to the importance of mitigating the emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance at the national level - and by doing so he made a specific reference to the importance of addressing over-the-counter use of antibiotics," said Dr Yvan JF Hutin, Director, WHO Antimicrobial Resistance Department in Geneva.
Dr Hutin stressed on importance of ensuring that we use antimicrobial medicines responsibly (and stop their misuse and overuse) while we accelerate the development of new medicines - and improve access to healthcare services where no one is left behind.
Hope from India
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