Antimicrobial Resistance a huge threat to global health: Amrita School of Biotechnology

There is an insidious rise in Antimicrobial Resistance AMR in the world and the same poses a huge threat to global health, according to the Amrita School of Biotechnology which recently held an event to create awareness about the issue. The event was held during the World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week that was observed from November 18-24, a release issued by the institute said.

There is an ''insidious'' rise in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in the world and the same poses a huge threat to global health, according to the Amrita School of Biotechnology which recently held an event to create awareness about the issue.
The institute held last week an International Colloquium on Antimicrobial Resistance known as the Amrita Legion of Antimicrobial Resistance Management (ALARM) 2023.
The event was held during the World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week that was observed from November 18-24, a release issued by the institute said.
ALARM 2023 provided a dynamic platform transcending traditional conference settings, it said.
''Multidisciplinary panels engaged experts from various fields, fostering in-depth discussions on the social, economic, and health implications of AMR.
''Specialized policy roundtables offered a space for policymakers to share strategies, integrating AMR considerations into broader health and economic policies.'' the release said.
It also said that there are nearly 5 million human deaths annually from bacterial infections alone and that underscore the urgency of addressing this crisis.
''Insufficient investments in research and development for new antimicrobials have prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to designate AMR as one of the top 10 global public health threats.'' it said.
Dr Krishna Kumar, Head of Paediatric Cardiology at Amrita Hospital at Kochi, emphasized that India and South Asia contribute to about 30 per cent of the five million cases, it said.
''The vicious cycle of infection, antibiotic use, and resistance is aggravated by the lack of interest from the pharmaceutical industry in developing new antibiotics,'' he is quoted as having said in the release.
The Indian Council of Medical Research reported close to 100,000 culture-positive isolates of resistant organisms in 2021 alone, highlighting the enormity of the problem within the country, it said.
The institute also said that the WHO has outlined a global action plan to address AMR, focusing on improving awareness, strengthening research and surveillance, reducing infection incidence, optimizing antimicrobial use, and exploring novel approaches.
The institute further said that understanding, prevention, and responsible use of antibiotics were essential in preserving the effectiveness of these life-saving medications.

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