Important to regulate use of antibiotics: Harsh Vardhan

Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan Monday emphasised that it is important to regulate the use antibiotic drugs in animals as well as humans to tackle the overuse of this class of drugs.

"Use of antibiotics in chickens, in particular, is expected to triple in India by 2030 and therefore it is important to regulate the use of antibiotics in animals as well as humans to tackle the issue. It is also important to monitor the presence of antibiotic residues in animal food products as their presence can give chance to microbes to acquire resistance," Vardhan said at the inauguration of One Health India Conference.

Due to high burden of bacterial diseases, antibiotics have a critical role in limiting morbidity and mortality in India. Consequently Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has huge implications for the country, a government press statement said.

It is known that 60 per cent of human diseases are of animal origin and many of them have developed resistance to major antibiotics in nature, it said.

Therefore, the conference's deliberations are focused on identifying the needs and opportunities and developing a strategy map to address major human and animal diseases of concern including "Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, Anthrax, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), together with biosafety, biosecurity, burden of disease and inter-sectoral collaboration considerations," the statement said.

"Estimates of global antibiotic use in poultry, swine and cattle in 2010 indicate that India accounts for 3 per cent of global consumption and is among the top consumers worldwide, along with China, the United States, Brazil and Germany," the statement quoted Vardhan as saying.