Schooling ourselves to protect our present and secure our future
SHOBHA SHUKLA CNS
Let us go back in time 97 years ago and dare to imagine the plight of those who suffered with bacterial infections before the discovery of world's first antibiotic in 1928 (penicillin). Without lifesaving medicines, curable or treatable infections could become deadly - once again. Today, a lot of medicines are failing to treat infections because disease-causing bacteria, virus, fungi and/or parasites are becoming drug-resistant - largely because of human-made misuse and overuse of medicines. Choice is ours: Do we want to slip back in time when there were not enough medicines around, or would we stop misuse and overuse of medicines and use them responsibly?
Would we protect our present and secure our future?
Recent data released by the WHO last month sets the alarm bells ringing on drug-resistance (or antimicrobial resistance or AMR). "Latest AMR surveillance report paints a sobering picture. AMR remains firmly among the top global health threats undermining the foundation of modern medicine. First, the scale of resistance is growing. Roughly one in six bacterial infections worldwide is caused by pathogens resistant to antibiotics. Second, the threat to critical care is real and resistance is particularly severe in gram-negative bacteria - the very pathogens most associated with hospital-acquired infections and high fatality rates. And third, AMR burden is profoundly inequitable. So low- and middle-income countries where health systems are often weaker face the highest resistance levels," said Dr Tim France, molecular biologist turned global health thought leader.
Silver lining: Data is used as a policy compass
"AMR surveillance coverage and data quality have expanded dramatically. The GLASS (Global AMR and use Surveillance System of the WHO) network now includes 104 countries covering more than 70% of the global population compared to 2016 - a four-fold increase. Political commitment is stronger than ever. AMR global surveillance data is itself now being used as a policy compass, not just as a warning system," added Dr France, who founded and leads Inis Communication. "MRSA rates have declined steadily in several regions by over 7% annually in Europe, and 6% in Southeast Asia. So focused interventions really do work." Tim was speaking at the 5th Annual Global Media Forum on Antimicrobial Resistance (ahead of World AMR Awareness Week or WAAW 2025).
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