SYLLABUS

GS-2: Issues relating to the development and management of the Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

Context: Recently, the Davos Compact on Antimicrobial Resistance, supported by the Unified Coalition for the AMR Response, seeks to mobilise sustainable public and private financing to reduce global AMR deaths and save over 100 million lives by 2050.

Key Highlights of the Davos Compact on Antimicrobial Resistance 2025 

• The Compact calls for scaling up action in proportion to the global burden of antimicrobial resistance.

• It seeks to reduce deaths linked to bacterial antimicrobial resistance by 10 percent by 2030.

• The goal is to reduce global AMR deaths and save over 100 million lives by 2050.

• It emphasises the One Health approach, integrating human, animal and environmental health.

• It promotes sustainable financing mechanisms that combine public funding with private investment.

• It supports revitalising antimicrobial research and development through push and pull incentives.

• It encourages equitable and responsible access to new and existing antibiotics, diagnostics and vaccines.

• It stresses infection prevention, control and antimicrobial stewardship across healthcare and food systems.

About Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 

• Antimicrobials are medicines used to prevent and treat infectious diseases in humans, animals and plants. They include antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics. 

• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. 

• Infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and death. 

• AMR is a natural process that happens over time through genetic changes in pathogens. However, its emergence and spread are accelerated by human intervention. 

• For example, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most effective first-line TB drugs.

Causes of AMR Spread 

• Inappropriate use of antimicrobials: The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers. 

• Poor Infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in hospitals: Provides more opportunity for resistant bacteria and other germs to spread. 

• Lack of enforcement and compliance with existing regulations: For example, the release of improperly treated hospital waste and effluents spreads antimicrobial-resistant organisms to the adjacent environment. 

• Farming practices: Such as the practice of adding antibiotics to agricultural feed accelerates the process of AMR.

Measures Taken Against AMR Initiatives in India 

• National Programme on AMR Containment: Established the National Antimicrobial Surveillance Network (NARS-Net) to determine the magnitude and trends of AMR in different geographical regions of the country. 

• National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC): It has published the National Treatment Guidelines for Antimicrobial Use in Infectious Diseases. 

• Red Line awareness campaign on Anti-Microbials Resistance: Launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), it urges people not to use medicines marked with a red vertical line, including antibiotics, without a doctor’s prescription

• National Action Plan for containment of AMR (NAP-AMR): Focuses on an integrated One Health approach and involves coordination among various sectors at the state, national and international levels