Combating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
GS-2 Maiins
Short Notes or Revision Notes
Question : Analyze the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including its causes, scale, and impact on public health and healthcare systems.
What is AMR?
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global threat where microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites become resistant to drugs designed to kill them.
- This renders the medications ineffective in treating infections they cause.
Causes of AMR
- Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants.
- In India, hospitals often lack effective infection prevention methods, leading to overuse of antibiotics.
- Use of antimicrobials in agriculture to promote animal growth or prevent diseases in unsanitary conditions contributes to AMR.
Scale of the Problem
- Leading cause of death:
- Globally, AMR is responsible for 1.27 million deaths annually, including 1 in 5 deaths in children under five (mostly in low- and middle-income countries).
- In India, nearly 300,000 deaths were attributed to AMR in 2019.
- Threat to modern medicine:
- AMR jeopardizes the effectiveness of surgeries, caesarean sections, cancer chemotherapy, and other procedures due to the risk of untreatable infections.
- Life expectancy and economic impact:
- If unchecked, AMR could reduce life expectancy by 1.8 years by 2035 and lead to substantial healthcare costs and economic losses.
- The World Bank estimates a potential cost of $1 trillion in additional healthcare expenditure and $1-3.4 trillion in GDP losses annually by 2030 due to AMR.
Measures to Combat AMR
- Preventing Infections:
- Implement effective infection prevention and control practices (hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, patient isolation).
- Improving Antibiotic Use:
- Promote appropriate use of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants. Discourage misuse and overuse.
- Data and Tracking Systems:
- Establish robust systems to monitor resistance patterns, guide prevention strategies, and report results globally.
- Laboratory Capacity:
- Enhance lab capacity to identify resistant bacteria for early detection and reporting.
- Research and Development:
- Invest in research for new and existing vaccines, diagnostics, and medicines.
- Collaborate globally to develop new drugs, diagnostics, and interventions.
- Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative (CDC):
- A global initiative to improve antibiotic use, track resistance, and implement infection control activities.
India Specific Measures
- National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR):
- A One Health approach involving various ministries to address AMR.
- AMR Surveillance and Research Network (ICMR):
- Tracks and analyzes trends of drug-resistant infections in India.
- Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ICMR):
- A pilot project to control antibiotic misuse and overuse in hospitals.
Conclusion
- AMR requires a unified global response with continued research and development for new solutions.
- Equitable access to existing and future vaccines, diagnostics, and medicines is crucial.
- The fight against AMR demands collective action on personal, local, national, and global levels.
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