The Lancet Warns 83% Indians Now Carry Deadly Drug-Resistant Bacteria; Is This The Next Big Health Emergency?

India

is facing a superbug crisis with 83% of patients entering hospitals every day with a drug-resistant bacteria, according to a global study led by AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad. The study was published in the journal Lancet during the Antimicrobial Awareness Week and reports that India tops the chart in an escalating Antimicrobial Resistance or AMR emergency.Doctors involved in the study said that the country stands at a "critical tipping point" as resistant bacteria continues to spread faster than they can be controlled. Experts attribute it to the following factors:

• Easy and often unchecked access to antibiotics
• Uncontrolled over-the-counter sales at pharmacies
• High antibiotic use in poultry, dairy and farming

The widespread misuse of these products is what has fastened the spread of superbugs.As a part of the study, doctors examined 1,200 patients across hospitals in India, Italy, the US and the Netherlands. Among them, Indian patients also showed exceptionally high levels of resistant bacteria. The worst part? Most of the bacteria did not respond to even the last-resort antibiotics.It was concluded that Italy recorded 31.5%, USA showed 20% and the Netherlands saw just 10.8% of the patients carrying this bacteria. It was detected during routine endoscopy procedures, where a flexible snake-shaped camera was passed through their mouth to examine the pancreas, liver and gallbladder. As per senior gastroenterologist and study co-author Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, common infections are becoming very difficult to treat. He explained that pneumonia that once took four days to cure may now easily take 8-10 days. Or worst case scenario, it may never get cured. The bacteria can enter the bloodstream and even cause septicaemia. The study also highlighted two ERCP patients who came in with the same medical condition but their journeys took different turns because of their exposure to drug-resistant bacteria. The complete case details were not shared publicly but the researchers did indicate that superbug presence directly influenced recovery and complications. They also emphasized on a life-altering impact due to AMR.At the same time, experts also warn that India's superbug crisis is not a problem confined to the hospitals but it has become a public health emergency. With antibiotics being taken for colds, fevers and viral infections, we may run out soon of effective treatments. The findings from this study come as an eye-opener of how antibiotic misuse can cause common infections that will soon be deadly.