ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE: A GROWING PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD. HOW TO ADDRESS THIS THREAT OF GLOBAL DIMENSION

Abstract

Antibiotics are powerful drugs that aid in the treatment of bacterial infections. They have changed the treatment landscape and saved countless lives over time. Besides possessing excellent therapeutic properties, antibiotics have long been misused for various preventive reasons. Due to their overuse and misuse, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites are developing what is known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Consequently, infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant organisms are challenging to treat, becoming one of the world's most serious public health hazards and threatening the economic stability of healthcare systems. About 5 million people around the world perish annually from drug-resistant infections. Unless controlled, this figure is estimated to rise by 10,000,000 per year by 2050. The challenge of antibiotic resistance must be fought on multiple fronts, as science alone may not yield a credible solution in the foreseeable future. There is a need to design effective interventions to promote the judicious use of antimicrobials. Physicians and patients are required to be educated about AMR and professional practices for controlling the spread of infections. Comprehensive efforts are also essential to address new forms of resistance that continue to emerge. It necessitates multisectoral collaboration and unified efforts of policymakers, researchers, public health practitioners, the pharmaceutical industry, agriculturists, and public representatives at both national and international levels in the endeavor to evaluate strategies to manage this ever-growing issue effectively. New alternate approaches that provide precise and economical methods for eradicating resistant bacteria while reducing the use of antibiotics to treat infections need to be developed as soon as possible.