Linking of new superbug to India irrational: Govt

LD SUPERBUG

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) India Thursday described as
"totally irrational" a report that a new superbug resistant to
antibiotics originated from the country and strongly protested
a British alert in this regard and the new enzyme being named
as 'New Delhi Metallo- 1'.
"When you link it to our antibiotics policy, say it is
India specific, say it is dangerous to get operated in India
then you will get more infections, that is totally
irrational," Director General Indian Council for Medical
Research V M Katoch said.
The Director General of Health Services R K Srivastava
along with Katoch "strongly refuted the naming of the enzyme
as New Delhi metallo beta lactamase and also refuted that
hospitals in India are not safe for treatment including
medical tourism".
The health ministry came out with a hard-hitting
statement after a paper published in scientific journal
'Lancet', said the new superbug, which is said to be resistant
even to most powerful antibiotics, has entered UK hospitals
and is travelling with patients who had gone to countries like
India and Pakistan for surgical treatments.
The Department of Health in UK has already put out an
alert on the issue.
The ministry said the conclusions of the article are
loaded with inference that these resistance genes or organisms
possibly originated in India and it may not be safe for the
patients in the United Kingdom to opt for surgery in India.
It said the contents of the article present a
"frightening picture" which is not supported by any scientific
data.
The issue was also raised in the Rajya Sabha (Upper
House of Indian Parliament) by members who suspected the hands
of multi-national pharmaceutical companies and hospital chains
behind the scientists' claim.
Indian medical tourism industry is making rapid
progress providing treatment and surgeries to global patients
at significantly lower costs. The sector has been estimated at
Rs 1,200 crore.
The statement further said "it should have been
highlighted that getting infection by such drug resistant
bacteria is a matter of chance, is a global phenomenon and is
preventable by sound infection prevention strategies which are
followed in any good hospital".
It may be noted that similar plasmids have been
reported from Israel, USA, Greece and even in this report from
environment of Scotland, it said.
"While such organisms may be circulating more commonly
in the world due to international travel, but to link this
with the safety of surgery in hospitals in India and citing
isolated examples to show that due to presence of such
organism in Indian environment, India is not a safe place to
visit is wrong," the statement said. MORE PTI SPC
RDM


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