Every year, almost five million people die globally because of anti-microbial resistant (AMR) bacteria, according to a latest Lancet study. In fact, they make up a major part of the estimated 7.7 million deaths globally due to bacterial infections, which are becoming the second largest cause of mortality.
“In India, in 2019, approximately 10,43,500 deaths were associated with AMR. For too long, AMR has been seen as either not urgent or too difficult to solve. Neither is true. We need immediate action and the tools to do so are widely available. We hope that this September the UN high-level meeting will ensure that there is a global will to act,” says Prof Ramanan Laxminarayan, senior research scholar at Princeton University and co-author of a new Lancet series on the subject.
According to an analysis by The Lancet series of papers, administrators suggest improving and expanding existing methods to prevent infections, such as hand hygiene, regular cleaning and sterilisation of equipment in healthcare facilities, availability of safe drinking water, effective sanitation and use of paediatric vaccines. These could prevent over 750,000 deaths associated with AMR every year in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), say researchers.
What is Antimicrobial Resistance?
This occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines, which include antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics. “AMR is the failure of antibiotics to work because the bacteria have evolved to be resistant to drugs that have been widely used or misused,” says Prof Laxminarayan. As a result, infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and death.
What are the reasons for antimicrobial resistance?
The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens. AMR puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk. It makes infections harder to treat and makes other medical procedures and treatments – such as surgery, caesarean sections and cancer chemotherapy – much riskier, according to WHO.
According to study authors, in parts of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the burden is aggravated by scarcity of access to effective antibiotics, inadequate laboratory testing and poor surveillance.
Antibiotics, if used as indicated, can avert many deaths from bacterial infections, and access to second-line antibiotics can even prevent deaths from some drug-resistant infections.
How can AMR impact you?
Bhakti Chavan, patient advocate and member of the WHO task force of AMR survivors, was 23 and completing her last project for a master’s degree in biotechnology in 2017 when she was diagnosed with Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR)TB. “I required daily painful injections and medicines,” she says. Even with newer medicines, she had to take a break, not to forget the repeated hospital admissions, to manage adverse side effects. Now, as a champion for patients with drug-resistant TB, she says, “We must handle novel therapies judiciously to avoid a situation in which no drugs are available to treat the disease or the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria,” she says.
Can newer drugs be used to counter AMR?
For starters, these are too expensive and as Prof Laxminarayan says, “It’s not simply a matter of developing new antibiotics. Unless access and affordability are guaranteed, the vast number of deaths from resistant bacterial infections will continue unabated. Reducing the cost of drug development would help keep antibiotics affordable, as shown by the public-private partnerships for medications to treat malaria and neglected tropical diseases. It’s time for similar tactics in antibiotic development.”
The Lancet analysis actually quantified prevention rates. Better hand hygiene and more regular cleaning and sterilisation of equipment could save up to 337,000 lives a year. Universal access to safe drinking water and effective sanitation in community settings could prevent approximately 247,800 deaths annually. Expanding the rollout of some paediatric vaccines, such as pneumococcal vaccines, which help protect against pneumonia and meningitis, and introducing new ones, such as RSV vaccines for pregnant mothers, could save 1,81,500 lives a year.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 24-05-2024 at 06:54 IST
Rohit Malhotra is a medical expert and health journalist who offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being. His articles aim to help readers lead healthier lives.
