Combating Antibiotic Resistance through Detection, Treatment and Prevention

To combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, PHI worked in India to advance the detection, treatment and prevention of critical drug resistant pathogens. In Tamil Nadu, PHI-India documented a high prevalence of elevated levels of pathogenic bacteria resistant to antibiotics used as last lines of defense in human medicine among outpatients in district hospitals, indicating that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was likely a critical problem in the state’s rural districts.

As a result of this work, the Government of India officially approved the formation of State and District Antimicrobial Resistance Committees to improve AMR surveillance and control, and the first state level AMR committee meeting was held in Chennai. These committees will be essential for the prevention and control of AMR in the state. PHI-India convened more than 100 government and private sector physicians to raise awareness about effective infection prevention and control, and they are working to develop a standardized protocol for surveillance of healthcare-associated infections.

Ultimately, the project aims to pilot a program that will be scaled up across the state of Tamil Nadu, India, with potential health implications for the entire population of nearly 80 million people.