Overuse of antibiotics and poor sanitation in India have created a powerful new antibiotic-resistant superbug, which has spread to a dozen countries, thanks in part to medical tourism.
Published February 28, 2012
India, which manufactures 30 percent of the global supply of antibiotics, has seen a significant increase in the consumption of these medications, which are widely available here without a prescription. India needs antibiotics to treat countless instances of bacterial infections in the country. But easy access to antibiotics has enabled rampant misuse. This in turn has led to the emergence of the superbug "NDM-1"--impervious to even the world's most powerful antibiotics. NDM-1 has now spread to 35 countries. One of the ways these super-resistant bacteria make their way out of Indian hospitals is through medical tourism. Tourists coming to India for cheap medical treatments are exposed to NDM-1 and later ferry the infections into their home countries.
Recently
While examining medical tourism in India, Sonia Shah interviews doctors who question the priority given to foreign patients in a country where one half of the children remain unvaccinated.
An antibiotic-resistant bacteria emerging in New Delhi (NDM-1) is spreading fast, thanks to poor sanitation and medical tourism. It poses the risk of unstoppable infections.
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Sonia Shah writes about international politics and global health. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Le Monde Diplomatique, Foreign Affairs, The Lancet and...
