Context: Recently, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has released a survey mapping the patients treated for one to five days each at 20 tertiary-care institutes across 15 States and two Union Territories between November 2021 and April 2022.
Major Highlights of the survey:
- The key reason for antimicrobial resistance is the excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics.
- Over half of the almost 10,000 patients surveyed recently were given antibiotics to prevent infection, rather than to treat it, amid growing concerns about the rise in resistance to antibiotics.
- 94% of patients were prescribed antibiotics even before a definitive diagnosis of the infection; only 6% were given antibiotics after confirmed diagnosis.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR):
- Antimicrobial resistance is the resistance acquired by any microorganism (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite, etc.) against antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials) that are used to treat infections.
- As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the top threats to public health.
Regulation of Antibiotics in India:
1. Prevent counter-sale:
- Antibiotics are included in Schedule H and H1 of the Drugs Rules, 1945. These drugs have specific caution labelling requirements and are sold by retail only under the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner.
- The supply of a drug specified in Schedule H1 is recorded in a separate register at the time of the supply and such records are maintained for three years and are open for inspection.
- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has placed 24 hi-end antimicrobials under schedule H1 by issuing notification.
2. National Action Plan for containment of Antimicrobial Resistance:
- National Action Plan on containment of Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) focusing on One Health Approach was launched on 19th April 2017 involving various stakeholder ministries/departments.
- Delhi Declaration on AMR– an inter-ministerial consensus was signed by the ministers of the concerned ministries pledging their support in AMR containment.
3. Red Line Campaign:
- The Red Line Campaign was launched in February 2016 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare aiming to tackle the crucial issue of antibiotic misuse in India. This campaign was to create awareness among the public to avoid self-medication and follow medical practitioner’s advice.
- A red line is put on the packaging of two dozen antibiotics and antimicrobials which are identified by the Ministry. The purpose is that these antibiotics should not be sold over the counter without prescription of a medical practitioner.
National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC):
- The National Centre for Disease Control acts as the national nodal agency for disease surveillance, i.e., it closely monitors the spread of infectious diseases throughout India.
- It collects data from various sources, including hospitals, laboratories, and health officials, to track disease outbreaks in real-time. This data is then analysed to identify trends, predict future outbreaks, and implement effective control measures.
- The NCDC is the nodal agency for India’s national programme on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) containment, of which one of the key components is the surveillance of antibiotic usage.
- To achieve this goal, NCDC has established the National Antibiotic Consumption Network (NAC-NET) through which network sites compile data on antibiotic consumption in their respective health facilities and send it to the NCDC.
- It was established in 2005 under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Headquarters: Delhi