ICMR recommends avoiding antibiotics for low-grade fever, issues guidelines

ICMR found in a survey that a large number of patients were no longer benefitting from the use of certain antibiotics as they have developed anti-microbial resistance to them

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Sunday issued guidelines opposing the use of antibiotics for ailments like viral bronchitis and low-grade fever. 
 

ICMR has advised physicians to prescribe the antibiotics within a specific timeframe. It stated in its guidelines that antibiotics should be given for five days for skin and soft tissue infections, five days for pneumonia acquired in the community, and eight days for pneumonia received in a hospital.
 

The guidelines further stated, “A clinical diagnosis most often helps us predict causative pathogens fitting into a clinical syndrome which would tailor the correct antibiotic rather than blindly relying on fever, procalcitonin levels, WBC (White Blood Cell) counts, cultures or radiology to make a diagnosis of infection.”
 

It stated that only extremely ill individuals should receive empiric antibiotic therapy.
 

Empiric antibiotic therapy is typically only advised for a small subset of patients who have severe sepsis, septic shock, community-acquired pneumonia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, or necrotizing fasciitis.
 

It is crucial to start off right and then concentrate, which means determining whether empiric therapy can be justified or de-escalated before creating a strategy for the length of therapy, according to the guidelines.
 

The guidelines have been issued by ICMR after it found in a survey done between January 1 and December 31, 2021 that a large number of patients were no longer benefitting from the use of certain antibiotics as they have developed anti-microbial resistance to them.
 

Anti-microbial resistance or AMR makes illnesses difficult to cure and raises the risk of disease transmission, according to medical professionals. When bacteria, fungi, and viruses change over time and stop responding to medications, AMR happens naturally. However, according to scientists, the process can be sped up by improper use of drugs.