The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis is the increasing global incidence of infectious diseases affecting the human population, which are untreatable with any known antimicrobial agent. This crisis will have a devastating cost on human society as both debilitating and lethal diseases increase in frequency and scope.
Author: Dr. Abdul Ghafur, Consultant and Adjunct Professor in Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospital, Chennai explains everything you needed to know about Antimicrobial Resistance Crisis.
Dr. Ghafur is the primary author and coordinator of the “ Chennai Declaration”, a document and initiative to tackle the challenge of antimicrobial resistance from an Indian perspective.
What is antibiotic resistance?
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) means parasites, viruses and fungi don't respond to the drugs we take to combat the infections they cause. Antibiotic resistance refers specifically to the resistance of bacteria against antibiotics.
Bacteria naturally evolve to resist some antibiotics, but the use and misuse of antibiotics speed up the emergence of drug-resistant types, or strains, of certain bacteria. Poor control of infections, inadequate sanitation and inappropriate handling of food make this problem worse as they help to spread resistance.
Resistant bugs spread globally and threaten our ability to treat common diseases or infections that arise during common procedures, like surgeries and cancer treatment. Without effective drugs against infections, many standard medical treatments will fail or become very risky.
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