The Kerala Drug Control Department recently launched (Antimicrobial Resistance Intervention For Total Health) to prevent the overuse of antibiotics in the state. The aim is to conduct surprise raids in pharmacies to detect over-the-counter (OTC) sales of antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription.AMR refers to the ability of bacteria and microbes to resist the drugs used to inhibit or kill them. Considered a “silent pandemic”, AMR was associated with around 5 million deaths globally in 2019, with 1.3 million deaths directly attributed to it. The public can participate by reporting pharmacies selling antibiotics without prescription to the Drug Control Department. A toll-free number has been provided for lodging complaints. Once a complaint is received, it will be transferred to the zonal office for verification and immediate action. The health department has committed to completely phase out OTC antibiotic sales without prescription and take action against violating pharmacists.
Kerala’s Efforts on AMR Surveillance: Regarding AMR surveillance, Kerala launched the Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (KARS-NET) for human surveillance in 2018-19. An integrated plan was also developed for non-human AMR surveillance.
