India launches strategy to curb antimicrobial resistance

India’s health ministry has announced the country’s first plan to curb antimicrobial resistance, including measures to prevent misuse of antibiotics by doctors, consumers, and healthcare institutions.

The National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (2017-21) is the first to assign coordinated tasks to multiple government agencies involving health, education, environment, and livestock to change prescription practices and consumer behaviour and to scale up infection control and antimicrobial surveillance.

Health officials said that the plan aims to tackle longstanding concerns that antibiotic misuse in the human and animal health sectors in India is contributing to antimicrobial resistance that threatens public health in India and other countries.

Releasing …