The term antibiotic resistance is a subset of antimicrobial resistance or AMR which is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication. AMR is facilitated by the inappropriate use of medicines, for example, using antibiotics for viral infections such as the flu.
Antibiotic resistance is a global phenomenon. But the epicenter of this catastrophe is India because of the following reasons-
- Uneven and unregulated antibiotic usage is one of the most important reasons behind the AMR crisis. In developed countries, doctors prescribe antibiotics for even the most basic maladies, like the common cold.
- Poor sanitation, corruption, and low public health spending have a bigger role in pushing up drug-resistant infections in low- and middle-income countries, including India, according to a study published in Lancet Planetary Health.
- More than vegetables, chicken carries a lot of antimicrobial-resistant organisms. In India, the problem could only get worse as the growing demand for meat and livestock products is expected to double the consumption of antimicrobials in India by 2030.
- Improper disposal of residual antibiotics that eventually enter the food chain.
Challenges-
- Despite these emerging threats from multiple fronts, India has no public database of mortality caused due to antimicrobial resistance.
- But even as the old and existing arsenal of antibiotics is being lost to a growing array of resistant bacteria, no new drugs are entering the market. No new antibiotic has been discovered in the last three decades, especially not against the gram-negative strain of bacteria prevalent in India.
- Overuse and misuse of antibiotics have long been believed to fuel antimicrobial resistance (AMR), but new research shows that simply lowering consumption is not enough. Providing sanitation, clean water, and good governance, increasing public health expenditure and better regulating the private health sector are all necessary to reduce antimicrobial resistance.
- Most pharmaceutical companies generally do not consider antibiotics to be a good source for revenue generation. The R&D focus, therefore, is more on lifestyle-related drugs, ranging from diabetes to cardiovascular diseases.
Way forward
- India’s medical societies adopted the Chennai Declaration, a set of national recommendations to promote antibiotic stewardship.
- India’s Red Line campaign – which demands that prescription-only antibiotics be marked with a red line, to discourage the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics– is a step forward.
- “Last resort” antibiotics should never be used as growth promoters in livestock farming, but achieving this will require significant changes to current practices.
- A national policy for containment of AMR was introduced in 2011. The policy aims to understand the emergence, spread, and factors influencing AMR.
- To set up an antimicrobial program to rationalize the use of antimicrobials and to encourage the innovation of newer and effective antimicrobials.
- WHO launched the global antimicrobial surveillance system (GLASS) to work closely with WHO collaborating centers and existing antimicrobial resistance surveillance networks.
Antibiotic resistance is not a problem that can be solved by any one country or even one region. Since, we live in a connected world, where people, animals and food travel and microbes travel with them, global action is essential to make progress in the long run. Increasing public awareness and understanding is, therefore, the most crucial pillar towards tackling antimicrobial resistance.
Comments
40 responses to “Discuss the issue of Antibiotic resistance, with special focus on the unique socio-economic conditions in India. What are the challenges India faces in combating the issue of Drug resistance? (15 Marks)”
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The content of the answer is perfect.
You have touched upon all the basic elements of the question in a decent manner.
The depth of the content is very good.
Good use of the case study.
But the presentation and structuring needs lots of improvement.
Give clear demarcation when changing the direction of the discussion.
Also, write shorter statements. That will make your content not over-explained and crisp.
This style suits essays but not GS answers.
Do not pit points after points. There should be a pattern and a proper subheadings. Under subheadings for 15 markers, there should be ideally 6 7 points and for 10 markers, the points should be 4-5.
Anything more than that and your answer will be deemed over-explained.
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Avoid lengthy intros.
They should be ideally of just couple of statements.
The main bidy shoukd have more discussion on these two headings:
1. What makes it a significant issue for India?
2. What challenges do we face in combating it?
You have provided some points in these headings but more points are needed.
read the model answer.
Also, keep the length of your bullet points short.
More way forwards are needed.
They lack depth and proper solution in their current forms.
Please review.
MOJO9b04600W25293262
There is no intro in the answer. Never start the answer right away. The intro is the reflection of upcoming discussion in your answers
Overall points are good.
But underline important points.
Good 2nd part of the answer.
MOJO9b02200D52463423
The overall structure of the answer is decent.
You have covered all the necessary discussion that is required in the question.
But keep the length of the statements on a shorter side.
Also, use flowcharts to bring down the word limit.
Underline the imp points.
Good content.
@parth-verma1 I am not able to attach the pdf or any other file
Hi Damini
Kindly mail the error screenshot to hello@civilsdaily. Do mention to them that you are AWE Student.
MOJO9b04X00D25275001
Keep the second paragraph of the answer as your intro and in the second paragraph, discuss the meaning of ABR.
That would be a better structure for your answer.
Keep the use of paragraphs in the main body to the minimal. Stick to the subheadings and bullet points kind of presentation in your main body.
Towards the end, when you are doing the analysis or concluding the answer, then you can use the paragraphs.
Paragraphs in the main body tend to be bulky, they take space and time and cover less points than what bullet points under subheadings can achieve.
Also, underline your important points.
The overall content in the main body is ok.
But better and more way forwards are needed in the answer.
Do not pass it off as your concluding remarks. Write proper way forwards.
MOJO9a31K00N58111047
Very good intro.
The overall content is very good.
The structure is decent and points are deep.
Do underline important stuff in your answers.
You can also use flowcharts.
Overall, the answer is very good.
MOJO9930Q00N64198657
Never write the introduction in bullet points.
Use small paragraphs for intro and conclusion.
Plus you should not use any subheading for conclusion and intro.
The overall content of the main body is very good.
It is deep and has perfect coverage.
But your way forwards are missing.
Write proper solutions before ending the answer.
Underline important points
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Very good intro.
The overall content is very good.
You have covered almost all the points.
To make the answer better in terms of presentation, you can use small flowcharts in the main body. These little things go a long way in getting extra marks.
Write proper way forwards in bullet points.
Better and more way forwards are needed in the answer.
Do not pass it off as your concluding remarks. Write proper way forwards.
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Please review
Perfect attempt.
You have covered all the points.
The structure is excellent.
The content is fine-tuned with the demands of the question.
The use of cyclical flowchart is apt in the main body.
Very good way forwards.
All in all, a very good answer.
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The answer is very good.
The content and the explanation is very good.
Good presentation and structure.
The use of flowchart in the way forward is very good.
The overall direction of the answer is apt.
Nothing wrong with that.
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please review
Good answer.
The structure is decent and the presentation is apt.
But do underline important stuffs in your answers.
The content is good.
Decent way forwards
MOJO9b03K00A07920521
The structure of the answer can be made better.
The last part before the conclusion where you discussed the steps taken in India should come before discussing the solutions.
The main body, where you discussed the challenges in India can be divided under headings of societal and economic reasons. The content will remain the same but they will be divided under these new subheadings.
The overall content is decent.
But underline imp stuff.
Good language
Please review.
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Do not start an answer with a subheading or definition styled intro.
You had to discuss the issue keeping in mind the unique socio-economic conditions in India.
Read the model answer for this part.
Very good presentation and content in the way forwards.
The main body lacks proper direction, content, and depth.
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MOJO9b01C00A90817216
Please review
Very good intro.
The answer is well discussed.
The content is in the right direction and it has enough depth and coverage.
The overall presentation and structure is very good.
Decent way forwards.
But the conclusion is missing.
MOJO9b04S00N25297271. Please review
The main body, where you discussed the challenges in India can be divided under headings of societal and economic reasons. The content will remain the same but they will be divided under these new subheadings.
The overall discussion is good.
Good language and explanation.
The structure is OK.
Very good way forwards. They are the soul of the answer.
ID: MOJO9a29V00D61774546
Thank you.
You had to discuss the issue keeping in mind the unique socio-economic conditions in India. Therefore, read the question carefully in order to get the demand of the question.
Read the model answer for this part.
Apart from that, good answer.
The content in the 2nd part of the answer is decent.
Good way forward.
MOJO9a02U00D28381180
Never write the introduction in bullet points.
Use small paragraphs for intro and conclusion.
The rest of the answer is very good.
You have covered all the dimensions.
The content is decent and well placed.
Very good way forwards.
MOJO9a05K00A19952476
You had to discuss the issue keeping in mind the unique socio-economic conditions in India. Therefore, read the question carefully in order to get the demand of the question.
Read the model answer for this part.
The way forwards need more content. They lack depth as of now.
The overall structure is decent.
The content needs to be according to the demand of the question
Payment id : MOJO9a25MOON56192840
Very good answer.
You have covered all the necessary elements in the answer.
The content is rich and has the necessary depth.
The main body, where you discussed the challenges in India can be divided under headings of societal and economic reasons. The content will remain the same but they will be divided under these new subheadings.
These little tricks will help you in gaining extra marks.
the way forwards are well presented and aptly discussed.
The explanation and language part is fine