Health Minister of Kerala Veena George announced that a campaign against the misuse of antibiotics has commenced in all the state’s 14 districts. This campaign is to confront antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which is one of the top global public health and development threats as the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.

Kerala has also decided that antibiotics will have to be given in a blue cover and a doctor’s prescription will be compulsory for people when they buy them from medical shops.

The door-to-door campaign of health officials in Ernakulam focuses on bringing awareness of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. The campaign in Ernakulam is being carried out by 2,257 trained health workers. The team has also covered areas where migrant workers are staying and the awareness class was conducted in their mother tongues.

The awareness programme points out that no one should take antibiotics without a doctor prescribing it and the entire course prescribed by the doctor has to be completed. The people are also told that antibiotics should not be shared between people and utmost care has to be taken while disposing of old antibiotics.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolve to resist the effects of medications that are made to kill or inhibit them which renders standard treatments ineffective.

This resistance develops through genetic mutations or acquiring resistance genes from other organisms and this is usually caused due to the overuse or misuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials in human medicine, agriculture and animal husbandry.

AMR is known to pose a global health threat as it can lead to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and increased mortality. A recent report by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) highlights the increase in antibiotic resistance in diseases like urinary tract infections (UTIs), blood infections, pneumonia and typhoid. This has eventually made treating these illnesses difficult. The ICMR shows a rise in antibiotic resistance and a decrease in the effectiveness of key antibiotics.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that AMR is one of the world’s most urgent health problems. It has directly led to the death of nearly 1.27 million people and contributed to the death of 4.95 million worldwide in 2019.

Campaigns against antibiotic misuse are important for preventing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It helps in raising awareness of the results of improper antibiotic use, such as overprescribing, self-medication and incomplete courses.

These campaigns can also help educate the public and healthcare providers on the importance of using antibiotics only when prescribed and necessary. This can also stop people from taking antibiotics for viral infections like colds or flu, where they are ineffective.

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