Unfolding the antibiotic resistance as one of the most significant global health issues, a US representative on Monday said it was a key area for US-India association.
“Antibiotic resistance is one of the most important global health issues of our times. Global cooperation to tackle antimicrobial resistance is required and is a key spot for US India collaboration for me and my health team across the US mission in India,” US Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster said at a program here.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) tied with the US Consulate here in establishing India’s first National Antimicrobial Resistance Hub in Kolkata on Monday.
“A predicted 7,00,000 people die each year worldwide due to drug-resistant diseases. We must come jointly to gather all the data, put it together and study it to stop these deaths,” said Henk Jan Bekedam, Country Representative to India, World Health Organization.
According to a review conducted by the WHO in the year 2015 in India, 75 percent of respondents undergo the wrong notions that cold and flu can be treated with antibiotics and only 58 percent identified they should stop taking antibiotics only when they have completed the course.
ICMR Director Balram Bhargava said the Kolkata capability will be the hub where all study on antibiotic resistance will be passed out not only for the country but also for South Asia.
