Hyderabad: A study carried out by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences pegs the number of neo-natal deaths caused by sepsis at 58,000 in 2013. The study dealt with growing antibiotic resistance in India.
The percentage of antibiotic resistance has touched 47 per cent in India, according to experts at the 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases. Dr Soumya Swami-nathan, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, said, “The problem exists even at hospitals. Too many antibiotics are administered to patients in intensive care units. There is no proper monitoring, nor is the use of antibiotics reported. For this reason, there is a strong need to create a surveillance mechanism whereby the misuse of antibiotics can be controlled.”
Experts said the controls have to be done at the level of doctors and hospitals. That apart, a major challenge exists in feeding excessive antibiotics to farm animals. In 2010, 63,200 tons of antibiotics were consumed in the world by livestock and it is estimated that by 2030 animals will consume 1,05,600 tonnes of antibiotics.
Centre for red mark
The Centre and the Drug Controller General of India have asked pharmaceutical companies to print a red line on strips of antibiotic drugs to easily identify them. This is being seen as one method by which the people can distinguish an antibiotic from a general drug.
