- Prelims Test Series (PTS) for Prelims 2027 starts 11th Oct. 2026 Click Here to know more →
- Ethics Redbook 3rd Edition: A Textbook That Teaches You How to Think Ethically Click Here to Read More →
- 21 Sept. | Forum Residential Coaching (FRC) for UPSC preparation Click Here to know more →
- 21 Sept. | GS Advance Program (GSAP) for UPSC 2027 Mains starts from 10th Oct. Click Here to Read More →
Contents
What is the News?
The United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) has released a report titled “Environmental Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance(AMR)”.
What is Antimicrobial Resistance(AMR)?
It occurs when microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites) evolve and stop responding to medicines, making even minor infections tough to treat, causing severe illnesses and deaths.
| Read more: Antimicrobial Resistance may Become a Silent Pandemic |
UNEP Projections on AMR deaths: AMR could kill up to 10 million people per year by 2050.
The economic impact is also expected to be substantial: By 2030, the shortfall in the gross domestic product caused by AMR could be $3.4 trillion per year, with an additional 24 million people pushed into extreme poverty.
What are the contributors to the spread of AMR?
The report has identified five major contributors to the spread of antimicrobial resistance(AMR). These are:
– Poor sanitation, sewage and waste effluent
– Effluent and waste from pharmaceuticals manufacturing
– Effluent and waste from healthcare facilities
– Use of antimicrobial and manure in crop production and
– Releases, effluent and waste in animal production.
What are the suggestions given by the report to reduce AMR?
1) Enhancing environmental governance, planning and regulatory frameworks, 2) Identifying and targeting priority AMR-relevant pollutants, 3) Improving reporting, surveillance and monitoring and 4) Prioritizing financing, innovation and capacity development.
Source: This post is based on the article “Pharma, health sectors among 5 major sources of AMR, says UNEP report” published in Down To Earth on 7th Mar 2022.
