AMR is a ‘silent disaster’ for humanity, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a “huge threat” to humanity and urged experts to draw up a comprehensive roadmap to combat the growing challenge.

Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for the BSL-4 Biocontainment Facility of the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Shah said AMR is a silent disaster, and underlined the need for medicine literacy, research, and awareness among people. According to the WHO, antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines.

The drug resistance renders antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines ineffective, and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability, and death.

“AMR means resistance developed against antibiotics. This is a huge threat to our society and humanity today. It is, in a way, a silent disaster. AMR means a reduction or complete loss of the effectiveness of antibiotics,” said Shah.

He identified three main reasons for AMR: not finishing the course of antibiotics, doctors prescribing antibiotics without a proper diagnosis, and using antibiotics without a doctor’s advice.

“I believe that AMR is a very serious threat, not just for individuals, but for society as a whole. If we compromise the human body’s ability to repair using antibiotics, we won’t be able to control diseases. There is a need for further research to make this science more precise and robust,” said Shah.

He said the AMR threat extends to vertical transmission because it can be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her child.

“Therefore, we need a roadmap to combat AMR. We need medicine literacy and research, and need to educate people about its dangers. This should be the goal of the students sitting before me today. Our goal should also be to prevent infections and to safeguard antibiotics for future generations,” said the Home Minister.

Shah said Gujarat has become the first State to establish the BSL-4 facility where scientists can research contagious viruses.

BSL-4 (Biosafety Level 4) is the highest level of biosafety containment for handling dangerous and contagious microorganisms that can cause severe or fatal diseases, with no available vaccines or treatments.

“Science and technology should not be limited to Research and Development alone. Rather, it should be a cornerstone of the nation’s overall development. And today, we are taking a very crucial step in that direction. In a way, after the Virology Institute in Pune, this will be India’s second such high-tech lab,” said Shah.

He added that this is the first such laboratory being built by a State Government, and the credit goes to Gujarat.

“A strong fortress for India’s biosafety is being built here at a cost of `362 crore in over 11,000 square meters of area,” said Shah.

He said that, though India, to an extent, (lagged) behind in this area for many years, this new facility will provide a new opportunity to young minds working in this field, and India will eventually move forward in this sector.

“This facility will provide scientists with a platform to conduct research on highly contagious viruses in a completely safe environment. And the infrastructure here has been built after studying the best BSL-4 labs around the world,” Shah added.