Two million deaths are projected to occur in India alone due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by 2050; globally this number can touch 10 million. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines.
Antimicrobials, including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics, are medicines used to prevent and treat infectious diseases in humans, animals and plants.
AMR contributed to 4.95 million deaths in the world in 2019 and was directly responsible for around 1.27 million of those deaths. In 2019, there were 297,000 deaths attributable to AMR in India, and 10,42,500 deaths associated with AMR.
