Clinical Infectious Disease Study Society (CIDSS) is planning to put in place a process to identify number of infections spreading from patients in hospitals to the community.  The move is to ensure that there is an effective system in place to keep tabs on infection spread. This would also help the CIDSS to formulate measures which are cost effective and be scaled up quickly when infection threats occur.

Concerned about methods to put up with the India’s increasing threat of anti microbial resistance going by the poor hygiene practices maintained at hospitals in the country, the Society sees serious implications ensuing from anti microbial resistance with no drugs in the pipeline.

While in the operation theatres, there is a reasonably seamless process of ensuring cleanliness, the wards are not up to the mark despite terminal cleaning process which takes place in a few medical centres. India continues to report high incidence of infectious diseases and multi drug resistance, which medical specialists need to face up to, noted CIDSS.

Highlighting the challenges for medical experts to tackle such fatal conditions in the absence of drugs, the three day annual conference of the Clinical Infectious Disease Study Society held from August 22 to 24 in Bengaluru had medical experts mandate adoption of a stringent a hygiene practice protocol. There is need for a sound ‘infection spread’ precaution.

According to Dr George K Varghese, organizing chairman, Fourth Annual conference of the Clinical Infectious Disease Study Society, medical specialists need to reason and discuss extensively before prescribing anti virals, anti fungals to prevent the threat of a multi drug resistance.

Dr. Varghese in his presentation on infection control in India called upon the need for 'antibiotic stewardship'. He pointed out that such issues were easy to discuss but difficult to put into practice.

“India has one of the highest number of gram negative resistance cases globally. There are no major drugs in the pipeline and healthcare personnel panic when SARS and H1N1 cases throng their hospitals. The Indian healthcare providers are equally concerned on the infectious which spread from hospital environment to communities at large which are increasing incidence of multi drug resistance, extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis. Particularly, TB is a constant threat and the disadvantage of this condition is that it manifest unlike H1N1 and this is cause for concern in hospitals,” said Dr. Verghese.

There are several challenges in India like for instance poor sanitation which leads to increase in water borne diseases like typhoid and hepatitis A. Such infectious spread because of environment contamination, drug use in animal husbandry particularly poultry and farming bee-keeping for honey further augment chances of MDR, pointed out Dr. Verghese.

Therefore CIDSS dreads anti microbial resistance with no drugs in the pipeline and are keen device to cost-effective measures to keep tab on infection spread.