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Superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics need global attention, not name-calling. There can be no doubt that the misuse of antibiotics has caused bacteria to mutate and become resistant
to attempts to control them. Nor is there any doubt that hospitals can easily become breeding grounds for these antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria which are being called “superbugs”.
What’s doubtful is the implied accusation in a recent article in the well-respected British medical journal Lancet that India is somehow a repository of such superbugs and that India’s
success at medical tourism is spreading them around the world. A new strain of superbug, apparently traced to a hospital in New Delhi, is being called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1
(NDM-1). The Indian government has taken objection to both the unstated accusation that it is spreading superbugs and to the name given to the new strain. Though it is not uncommon for
diseases to carry the names of the places where they were first discovered, a similar superbug discovered in the UK was dubbed the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas. Moreover,
there have been allegations that the study in the Lancet report was partly sponsored by a pharmaceutical company which has produced a superbug antidote. A researcher involved in the study
has claimed that he did not fully agree with some of the conclusions in the report — especially the medical alert on treatments in India. It is fitting that the government has taken this
matter seriously and is willing to fight for India’s name, the reputation of our health industry and the burgeoning profits from medical tourism. It is not hard to imagine why India is seen
as a threat to the world. However, there is a very important caveat here. No matter what the provenance of superbugs, it is a fact that they are dangerous. That rampant and consistent misuse
and abuse of antibiotics helps these resistant strains to develop is also disturbing. Apart from the fight to save India’s name in the world, we also need to put in as much effort, if not
more, in cleaning up our hospitals so that we are squeaky clean in this area. This, in fact, has to be our priority. The dangers of antibiotic abuse have long been known — and felt. The
creation of superbugs only proves that the battle against disease is endless and extremely tough. Given that infectious diseases can no longer be locally contained, it makes better sense for
the world’s medical and scientific communities to work together. The blame game is not necessary.