Today 7th April is World Health Day and like every year this day is being observed throughout the world. Every year World Health Organization (WHO) as well as most member countries and many different health and non-health related organizations, observes the day to spread a message to the world about important and burning health topics and health related issues, in the form of a slogan, which is selected on the basis of importance and urgent action required to counter a particular health problem. This year’s World Health Day slogan is: “Antimicrobial resistance: no action today, no cure tomorrow”.

We all are aware of the importance of antimicrobial agents (commonly known as antibiotics). The biggest challenge at present doctors and other health care professionals and health care set p of any nation face is (most likely) the development of antibiotic resistance, by the disease causing microorganisms, which were sensitive to particular antibiotic. Which means, a disease caused by particular microorganism was responding to an antibiotic yesterday is no more effective today. Just imagine the effect that can cause in healthcare.

Some well known examples of antimicrobial resistance are illustrated here. Chloroquine was very effective against malarial parasites for treatment of malaria, but as of today most malarial parasites are resistant to chloroquine and for treatment of malaria (especially caused by plasmodium falciparum), we have to employ a newer anti-malarial medication, which leads to increased cost as well as availability of lesser options for treatment. If malarial parasites remained sensitive to chloroquine, the cost to treat malaria will be less than $100, whereas at present it costs thousands of dollars. The examples of antibiotic resistance are numerous and have potentially dangerous consequences to health care system of any nation.

Present era of medical science is the era of antimicrobials. We can not imagine health care without use of antibiotics. But the way microorganisms are becoming antibiotic resistance (due to whatever causes or may be human or natural causes), it may not be far away for s to reach pre-antibiotic era again. This is the right time to combat and check development of antibiotic resistance and secure future of our future generations.

We all need to do or needful to prevent antibiotic resistance from becoming more serious and lets join hands together to combat the menace.

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