I WOULD PRAY very hard," says V Ramasubramanian, when asked what if antibiotics failed to work one day. For the Chennai-based doctor who specialises in infectious diseases and tropical medicines, it is just impossible to contemplate a world without these wonder drugs that have revolutionised modern medicine since Alexander Fleming discovered the first of the kind, penicillin, in 1928. Today, antibiotics underpin much of the treatment we receive-be it for a small scrape or an organ transplant. Scientists estimate that by preventing people from dying of bacterial infections, antibiotics have helped increase life expectancy by 23 years. But the progress made over the last century is getting eroded.
Repeated exposure to antibiotics, due to unnecessary use, has prompted these single-cell pathogens to mutate and evolve their defence mechanisms to inactivate or evade the drugs. A May 2023 study by UK researchers has found that some bacteria adapt special pumps to flush antibiotics out of their cells. Then there are those resistant to multiple drugs. Last year, a report by medical journal The Lancet found that antibiotic resistance is now a leading cause of death worldwide. In 2019, antibiotic resistance was linked to 5 million deaths, with 1.3 million deaths directly attributed to it.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 16, 2023 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 16, 2023 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Vision 2030
Economic growth must take into account needs of energy transition, climate mitigation, with action aligned as per India's 2030 climate goals
FIX OUR FOOD
Chemical-dependent farming, lax labelling laws, rising anti-microbial resistance must top the agenda
BATTLE THE CAR BULGE
Clean, affordable, integrated and accessible public transport the only solution
CONSERVE NOW
Disregard for biodiversity conservation over the past two decades needs immediate redressal
SCRAP THE DUMP
Disincentivise garbage dumping, invest in behavioural change
PLAN THEM COOL
As urban India turns into a heat trap, the government must focus on improving cities' liveability
THINK LONG-TERM
India needs continued emphasis on flagship programmes, aligned to long-term planning that focusses on water security and circular economy in a climate-risked era
OVERHAUL OVERDUE
Hold polluting industries accountable for public health risks, environmental hazards, climate change; provide them support for green transition
LOOK BEYOND DUST
Reinvent National Clean Air Programme to focus on fine particulate matter and trans-boundary pollution
IT'S NOW OR NEVER
Clean energy sectors need demand-driven markets and domestic industries that can cater to the entire value chain