Rising antimicrobial resistance poses mounting public health risk, experts warn

Antimicrobial resistance, the ability of disease causing microbes to withstand medicines designed to kill them, is emerging as one of the most pressing public health challenges in India, with doctors cautioning that routine infections are becoming harder and costlier to treat.

Medical experts point to the widespread misuse and overuse of antibiotics as a key driver of this trend. Self medication, incomplete treatment courses, and the routine prescription of broad spectrum antibiotics, often without laboratory confirmation, are steadily eroding the effectiveness of life saving drugs. Hospitals are also reporting a growing number of infections that respond poorly to standard therapies, leading to longer hospital stays and higher mortality risks.

Public health specialists note that antimicrobial resistance does not remain confined to hospitals. Resistant bacteria circulate freely in communities through contaminated water, food chains, and poor sanitation, making the problem far more difficult to contain. The use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry farming has further added to the burden, creating resistant strains that can spread from animals to humans.

India has taken steps to address the issue through surveillance programmes and treatment guidelines, aligned with recommendations from the World Health Organization. Agencies such as the Indian Council of Medical Research are tracking resistance patterns across the country, while urging doctors and patients to use antibiotics responsibly.

Experts stress that tackling antimicrobial resistance will require coordinated action, stricter regulation of antibiotic sales, better diagnostic facilities, and sustained public awareness. Without urgent intervention, they warn, common infections and minor injuries could once again become life threatening, reversing decades of medical progress.

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