Antimicrobial resistance happens when microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites) change when they are exposed to antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics). Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others. It’s a serious threat to public health in India and requires action across all government sectors and society. Without effective antibiotics, the success of major surgery and cancer chemotherapy would be compromised. Also the cost of health care for patients with resistant infections is higher than care for patients with non-resistant infections due to longer duration of illness, additional tests and use of more expensive drugs. Raina Paul explores this growing menace in Indian society…
The absence of a mechanism to regulate sales of antibiotics is gradually making them impotent, with harmful pathogens adapting to them and learning to thrive in the human body. Experts believe bacteria are building resistance to even increased dosages of antibiotics. Speaking about the dangers of antibiotic resistance, Dr Maneesh Paul, head of academic research at St. Martha’s Hospital, Bengaluru, said that we are now entering a pre-antibiotic era, which is equal to the nonexistence of antibiotics.
In Karnataka, as all over the country, antibiotics can be bought over the counter without a doctor’s prescription. Diseases like pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning and gonorrhoea are becoming harder, sometimes impossible, to treat as the antibiotics used to treat them are becoming ineffective. Even in surgery rooms where infections are most likely to occur, doctors struggle to find an alternative as antibiotics have almost become defunct.
“Bacteria are resistant to even the highest level of antibiotics called Carbapenem, which are used in intensive care units and administered to critically-ill patients. This is scary. I don’t think any politician or policy maker understands this unless it hits them at home,” said Dr Paul, who is also chief scientific officer at St. Martha’s.
According to reports, Carbapenem-resistance among K. Pneumoniae increased from 2% in 2002 to 52% in 2009 in one tertiary-care hospital in New Delhi. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MHAFW) in mid-2016 admitted to the existence of antimicrobial resistance in India and was concerned about its increasing incidence. A large number of studies conducted at various locations in India by ICMR and other health institutions from 2005 onward found the presence of antimicrobial resistance in the country.
Bu hikaye Karnataka Today dergisinin February 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Karnataka Today dergisinin February 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Fish Vends - No Longer A Fishy Tale
New vends are redefining the way fish is sold in the fish loving city of Mangaluru. M Raghuram tell us more
Karnataka Gets Its First Chess Grand Master!
“It has taken me longer than I expected to secure the Grand Master rating mainly due to a lack of permanent sponsorship”, Karnataka’s first Chess Grand Master told R. Uday Kumar during a wide ranging chat in which he discussed his motivation, and displayed his determination to win more laurels for the state.
Travel. Be A Great Leader- Here's How!
Travel is delightful. It relaxes, enriches the eye and the soul, and generally reinvigorates. That is something we all know. But it also provides us with invaluable business leadership skills, says Deepshikha Dhankhar
Mahindra KUV100 NXT A New Ride For The Millennial
The facelifted Mahindra KUV100 has officially gone on sale in India. The refreshed model comes with about 40 new updates and features which is why the company has rechristened it ‘KUV100 NXT’. Karthick Annamalai examines the claim.
The Bald Truth of hair transplant clinics
They are everywhere, like hair on a full head of hair! In newspapers. On websites. In advertisements, on banners and hoardings. Or, right around the corner where you live. Hair transplantation clinics with before-andafter photographs are everywhere! They nail the lie that bald is beautiful! It’s the bald and balding that rush in to these clinics where angels fear to tread! But is it safe? Is your life at risk when you undergo this procedure? Raina Paul finds out.
My work is my business card, says Ramesh Aravind
The USP of Ramesh Aravind is his gregariousness, humility and humbleness. Affectionately called as a Kannada Kamal Hasan by his friends and well-wishers, Ramesh has reached the coveted mile stone of acting in a century of films in 25 years. The specialty of Ramesh Aravind is his immunity to any controversy or gossip in Sandalwood. He considers his journey that began 25 years ago as a beautiful and wonderful journey. He has played a variety of roles and taken up a variety of responsibilities in the film industry - acting, directing, script-writing and anchoring. He shares his sweet memories and the journey with Y Maheswara Reddy.
The Cauvery dilemma
Both north and south Karnataka are in a tizzy over water. North Karnataka over the utilisation of waters of the Mahadayi River (see article on Page 24) and South Karnataka over the utilization of the Cauvery River. This is probably the result of a skewed discourse which is framed by the limited terms of water availability. It’s an I win you lose kind of discourse - water allocated to one state is the loss of another, and the water that reaches the sea is a waste. Is there a way to deal with these disputes other than the legal? Prabhu Mallikarjunan traces the history and outcome of the dispute and puts forth the farmer’s perspective.
In contempt of the People's Court
Can the Government of the people, by the people and more importantly for the people, ignore the voice of the people in a democracy is the moot question this article throws up. Public consultation is important and there will always be dissenting voices. But when they are overwhelming, is the government justified in unilaterally overruling public sentiment?
Playing the Piano Is Like Breathing for Me: Rhys Concessao
Rhys Concessao is a musical prodigy. At the age of 12, he is already a performer on the world’s best stages, from the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City to the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and is the winner of multiple awards including the Most Distinguished Pianist Award and the Young Talent Encouragement award. He is also the Music Ambassador for the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, a very prestigious foundation in the musical world. Karnataka is proud of his achievements as his roots are in Mangaluru on the western coast of Karnataka. Here is Rhys answering a few questions for our readers about his musical journey put to him by Karnataka Today’s Allwyn Mascarenhas.
Robin Mathews : Samajwadi Party candidates will enter Karnataka Vidhana Soudha in 2018
The party of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the strong man of Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party (SP) made its debut in Karnataka bagging one seat in the Assembly elections held in 2013. Robin Mathews heads the party in Karnataka and is hopeful of strengthening its base in the run up to the state’s assembly elections in 2018. He spoke to Y Maheswara Reddy about the state of the party and his plans to the make it the party of the state!
