Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 20 (IANS) Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday said the state-wide campaign that her department has launched against the indiscriminate use of antibiotics has seen a drop of around 30 per cent in their usage since the initiative began.
“With the drop in antibiotics use by around 30 per cent, it means people were having it before without actually having any reason to have it. This dip took place due to our campaign,” George said at a state-level campaign inauguration meeting held at a state-run school here.
“Our aim is to see that all hospitals in the state are turned into antibiotic-smart hospitals. There should be no sales of antibiotics done through medical shops without a prescription from doctors,” she added.
The Minister later joined health workers and took part in a door-to-door campaign near the school.
This campaign is to confront antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which is one of the top global public health and development threats as the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.
Another step that has been initiated is that antibiotics will have to be given in a blue cover and a doctor’s prescription will be compulsory for people when they buy it from medical shops.
This campaign is in various stages in the 14 districts of the state and the targeted plan is to reach each and every home in the state. The campaign is also geared to cover areas where migrant workers are staying and the awareness class is being conducted in their mother tongues also. The awareness programme points out that no one should take antibiotics without a doctor prescribing it and the entire course prescribed by the doctor has to be completed.
People are also told that antibiotics should not be shared between people and utmost care has to be taken while disposing of old antibiotics.
The Kerala government has taken up this programme very seriously as international studies have shown that AMR affects countries in all regions and at all income levels and the worst affected are the low and middle-income countries. Studies have also revealed that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.
–IANS
sg/vd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
