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How antimicrobial resistance develops, its global toll, India's challenge and responsible antibiotic use
Antibiotics transformed medicine after Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. Infections that once killed routinely became treatable, and surgery, cancer treatment and organ transplants became far safer. But the power of antibiotics is eroding. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), when microbes evolve to survive drugs, is now recognised by the World Health Organization as one of the top global public health threats.
Medical note: This article is for general information. Always follow a qualified doctor's advice on antibiotics.
The more antibiotics are used, especially unnecessarily or incorrectly, the faster resistance spreads.
A major study published in The Lancet in 2022 (the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance project) estimated that in 2019:
A follow-up analysis published in The Lancet in 2024 projected that AMR could directly cause more than 39 million deaths between 2025 and 2050 without stronger action.
India has responded with measures such as the National Action Plan on AMR (2017), Schedule H1 rules requiring records for certain antibiotics, the "Red Line" campaign marking prescription-only antibiotic packs, a ban on the use of colistin in animal feed (2019), and state-level plans such as Kerala's.
Doctors worry most about bacteria such as:
Such infections need stronger, costlier or more toxic drugs, longer hospital stays, and in the worst cases, no effective treatment remains.
Colds, most sore throats, influenza, COVID-19 and most cases of acute diarrhoea are caused by viruses. Antibiotics do not help and only add side effects and resistance risk.
Few new classes of antibiotics have been developed in recent decades because they are scientifically hard to discover and commercially less rewarding than chronic-disease drugs. New approaches include novel antibiotic classes, bacteriophage therapy, vaccines against resistant pathogens and AI-assisted drug discovery.
It is bacteria, not people, that become resistant. But resistant bacteria can infect anyone.
Follow your doctor's instructions. Guidance on course length is evolving, and some infections need shorter courses, but decisions should be made by a doctor.
No. For serious bacterial infections, appropriate antibiotics prescribed by a doctor are essential.
Antibiotic resistance is a slow-moving emergency. Responsible use by patients, doctors and farmers, better infection prevention and new drug development are all needed to keep antibiotics working for future generations.
