Ahmedabad, Jan 13: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday described antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a “huge threat” to humanity and called on experts to draw up a comprehensive roadmap to combat the growing challenge.
Speaking after laying the foundation stone for a Biosafety Level-4 (BSL-4) Biocontainment Facility at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Shah termed AMR a “silent disaster” and stressed the need for medicine literacy, research and greater public awareness.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines, making infections difficult or impossible to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and death.
Shah said resistance develops largely due to people not completing prescribed antibiotic courses, doctors prescribing antibiotics without proper diagnosis, and self-medication without medical advice. He warned that compromising the effectiveness of antibiotics could weaken the body’s ability to recover and make disease control more difficult, underscoring the need for further research to strengthen scientific understanding.
He also said the threat of AMR extends to vertical transmission, noting it can be passed from a pregnant woman to her child.
The Home Minister urged students and researchers to focus on preventing infections and preserving antibiotics for future generations, calling these key goals in tackling AMR.
On the new facility, Shah said Gujarat has become the first state to establish a BSL-4 laboratory where scientists can safely conduct research on highly contagious viruses. He said the lab, being built by the state government, would be India’s second such high-tech facility after the Virology Institute in Pune.
Shah said the project will create a “strong fortress” for India’s biosafety and is being developed at a cost of Rs 362 crore over an area of more than 11,000 square metres. He added that the facility’s infrastructure has been designed after studying leading BSL-4 laboratories worldwide.
By – Juhi