Former Regional Advisor in essential Drugs and other Medicines in World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Office for South- East Asia Kathleen Anne Holloway said that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top 10 public health threats that humanity is facing and it may become the leading cause of 10 million deaths globally by 2050, which will be more than cancer deaths.
She was delivering a lecture on ‘The Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance’ at School Of Pharmacy at GITAM Deemed to be University here on Wednesday.
She also said that AMR causing ESKAPE pathogens represent a global threat to human health.
AMR is a global public health challenge which has increased due to the overuse of antibiotics worldwide and she pointed out that the main drivers of AMR include the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, lack of knowledge on usage of clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
Dr. Kathleen emphasised that the pharmacists can play a pivotal role in combating AMR.
GITAM School Of Pharmacy Dean P. Rama Rao said that AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over a period of time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
GITAM Institute Of Medical Sciences And Research (GIMSR) Pro Vice- Chancellor Gitanjali Batmanabane, Principal S. Raja, faculty and students attended the lecture.
