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New Delhi: Antibiotics have long been seen as one of modern medicine’s greatest breakthroughs. From treating bacterial throat infections and urinary tract infections to protecting patients after surgery, these medicines have saved countless lives over the years.
But doctors are now warning that this protection is weakening. Across the world, many bacterial infections that were once easy to treat are no longer responding to commonly used antibiotics. This growing threat is known as antimicrobial resistance, or AMR.
Dr Ashita Singhal, Consultant in Paediatric Haematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) at SunAct Advance Therapies, says AMR is becoming a serious medical challenge.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in a way that allows them to survive medicines that earlier could kill them. Dr Singhal explains that while this is a natural biological process, misuse and overuse of antibiotics have made the problem much worse.
“Bacteria are adaptive organisms. When they come into contact with antibiotics, the weakest strains get killed, whereas those with genetic mutations that allow them to survive the medicine continue multiplying,” she says.
Over time, these resistant bacteria increase in number, making infections harder to cure with standard treatment.
One of the biggest reasons behind antibiotic resistance is the unnecessary use of antibiotics. Many people take these medicines for viral infections such as cold and flu, even though antibiotics work only against bacterial infections.
According to Dr Singhal, repeated and unnecessary exposure to antibiotics gives bacteria more chances to adapt and survive. This has led to the rise of stronger, drug-resistant bacteria, often called “superbugs”.
As a result, infections that were once treated easily may now require stronger medicines.
Antibiotic resistance is no longer a problem limited to intensive care units or critical hospital cases. Doctors are now seeing routine infections, including urinary tract infections, skin infections and respiratory infections, becoming more difficult to treat.
In many cases, patients need second-line or third-line antibiotics. These medicines may be costlier, may have stronger side effects and can also increase recovery time.
Dr Singhal says some patients who earlier recovered with oral antibiotics may now need intravenous medicines and hospital admission.
The risk is especially high for people with weak immune systems. Children undergoing cancer treatment, bone marrow transplant patients and others with compromised immunity depend heavily on antibiotics when infections occur.
“For these patients, antibiotics are not simply precautionary medicines; they are lifesaving treatments,” Dr Singhal says.
She adds that when a child undergoing cancer treatment develops an infection, the body may not be able to fight it without medical support. If the bacteria are resistant to standard antibiotics, doctors have far less time to control the infection.
Dr Singhal says controlling antibiotic resistance requires responsibility from both doctors and the public. Antibiotics should be prescribed only when medically needed. People should avoid self-medication and should not pressure doctors to prescribe antibiotics for viral illnesses.
Patients must also complete the full course of antibiotics exactly as advised and should never share leftover medicines with others.
“Preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics is a shared responsibility,” Dr Singhal says.
