By Radha Devi Adhikari | Health Pana
AMR is gradually coming to be referred to as a silent pandemic by the world health experts. The World Health Organization defines antimicrobial resistance as the phenomenon when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites develop and can no longer be treated by drugs, complicating infection treatment and exposing patients to serious diseases and disability, as well as mortality.
A Growing Global Crisis
In the recent times, the estimates provide worldwide that AMR causes the death of close to 5 million people each year. Human medicine, agricultural, and livestock production have increased the development of resistant strains by misusing and overusing antibiotics.
Unless something is immediately done, the United Nations has threatened that by 2050, drug-resistant infections might be the leading cause of death even after cancer.
Why It Matters to the Developing Countries.
- The low-and middle-income countries have specific problems:
- Prescript-free access to over-the-counter antibiotics.
- Inadequate diagnostic centers.
- Poor infection prevention and control mechanisms.
- Poor regulatory implementation.
The inability to avoid urban crowding, self-medication behavior, and informal pharmacies systems have been found to compound the susceptibility of the spread of resistance in South Asia, including Nepal.
What Needs to Be Done?
Experts recommend:
- Empowering the antibiotic stewardship programs.
- Research and development in new antibiotics.
- In order to lower the number of infections, promoting vaccination.
- Education of people on responsible use of antibiotics.
Ordinary infections and regular operations may turn into a life-threatening issue again without the coordinated worldwide response.
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