Growing burden of antimicrobial resistance and the need for effective stewardship: An Indian perspective

History of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dates back to the time from the discovery of antibiotics and has emerged as a significant public health problem. The recent COVID-19 pandemic saw the widespread and irrational use of antibiotics on a large scale. In this review on AMR we have compared the burden and impact of AMR in terms of morbidity, mortality and expenditure. Multiple strategies and action plans have been laid out by global leaders, and also in India to tackle the pervasive issue of AMR. There are a number of factors driving AMR, and recently major humanitarian crises around the world have come up as significant drivers and pose challenges to curbing AMR, which requires collaborative, multisectoral and dedicated efforts from all sides to bring down AMR. Like any other public health issue, attempts to control AMR are plagued with hurdles thwarting our efforts.