I WOULD PRAY very hard," says V Ramasubramanian, when asked what if antibiotics failed to work one day. For the Chennai-based doctor who specialises in infectious diseases and tropical medicines, it is just impossible to contemplate a world without these wonder drugs that have revolutionised modern medicine since Alexander Fleming discovered the first of the kind, penicillin, in 1928. Today, antibiotics underpin much of the treatment we receive-be it for a small scrape or an organ transplant. Scientists estimate that by preventing people from dying of bacterial infections, antibiotics have helped increase life expectancy by 23 years. But the progress made over the last century is getting eroded.
Repeated exposure to antibiotics, due to unnecessary use, has prompted these single-cell pathogens to mutate and evolve their defence mechanisms to inactivate or evade the drugs. A May 2023 study by UK researchers has found that some bacteria adapt special pumps to flush antibiotics out of their cells. Then there are those resistant to multiple drugs. Last year, a report by medical journal The Lancet found that antibiotic resistance is now a leading cause of death worldwide. In 2019, antibiotic resistance was linked to 5 million deaths, with 1.3 million deaths directly attributed to it.
Denne historien er fra July 16, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra July 16, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
