INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has issued a note of caution against misuse of antibiotics as flu cases continue to soar in
can be due to the seasonal influenza
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said this year, Influenza A H3N2, a subtype of viruses that cause influenza (flu), is
predominant and it is known to cause more hospitalisations than other influenza subtypes
But we often come across patients who have taken antibiotics like Azithromycin and Amoxiclav on their own
During the first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic also, Dr Saini added, one of the key crises was overuse of medicines including
antibiotics.In an advisory last year, ICMR had called upon doctors to avoid using antibiotics for conditions such as low grade fever and
viral bronchitis among others
The health research agency has also advised doctors to follow a timeline while prescribing antibiotics.For example, ICMR guidelines
suggested that antibiotics should be prescribed for five days in case of community acquired pneumonia and eight days for hospital acquired
Antimicrobial Resistance or AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines,
making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death
Self-medication is another major reason behind rising AMR, say medical experts
Recently, a multi-centre survey carried out by ICMR to spot the trend in antibiotic resistance across the country showed Acinetobacter
baumannii, a gram-negative bacteria known to cause infection in blood, urinary tract and lungs among others, was resistant to high-end
antibiotics.The survey found 87.5% samples of Acinetobacter baumannii tested in 2021 were resistant to carbapenems which is a high-end
This, the researchers said, limited the treatment option in individuals suffering from infection caused by the bacteria.
