India Overusing High-End Antibiotics, Global Data Reveals

Antibiotics are medicines that help us fight infections caused by bacteria.

However, when we use too many antibiotics or use them incorrectly, the bacteria can become resistant to these medicines.

This means the antibiotics no longer work, and the infections become harder to treat.

A recent study published in The Lancet Public Health found that many countries, including India, are using too many powerful antibiotics, especially those in the 'Watch' category.

These antibiotics are supposed to be used only when necessary because they have a higher risk of making bacteria resistant.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a system called AWaRe to help countries use antibiotics more wisely.

The study shows that almost all countries are using too many 'Watch' antibiotics, which can make it harder to treat infections in the future.

This is a big problem because it can make common infections more severe and even life-threatening.

It can also make medical procedures like surgeries riskier.

To fix this problem, countries need to use antibiotics more carefully and only when necessary.