Expert explains why common infections take longer to cure, blames it on antibiotic misuse

Health risks of antibiotic misuse: Every unnecessary antibiotic dose gives germs another chance to adapt, until we’re left fighting 'superbugs' that no longer fear our strongest medicines (Image: Pexels)

Walk into any emergency room with a urinary infection, pneumonia or a skin wound, and most people expect a familiar sequence: a few tests, a course of antibiotics, and recovery soon after. But the rise of antimicrobial resistance is rewriting that script. What once counted as routine is now turning into a race against time.

According to Dr Yatin Mehta, Chairman, Critical Care, Medanta, Gurugram, infections that were easy to treat a decade ago are becoming stubborn, dangerous and sometimes fatal. “This is the new reality of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, happens when germs evolve and stop responding to medicines that once killed them. It’s a natural process, but one that has been sped up by misuse and overuse of antibiotics, in hospitals, clinics and even in farming,” he tells Moneycontrol.

AMR isn’t just a medical problem, it’s a public threat that affects every home and every hospital. “Every unnecessary antibiotic dose," Dr Mehta says, "gives germs another chance to adapt, until we’re left fighting 'superbugs' that no longer fear our strongest medicines." He adds, “To put it simply, each time antibiotics are misused, we’re giving harmful bacteria another lesson in survival. And they’re becoming better students than we ever expected.”

Also read | Do's and don'ts of consuming antibiotics: Never take antibiotics with milk or juice, say no to alcohol

For emergency rooms, this shift is nothing short of a crisis. “Doctors must act fast, often before they know which germ they’re dealing with. When that germ turns out to be resistant, treatment delays can be deadly. What starts as a minor cut can spread into a severe infection. A regular UTI can become sepsis. Pneumonia can spiral into respiratory failure despite multiple antibiotics,” says Dr Mehta.

All about antimicrobial resistance

1. Delayed treatment and worsening infections: When first-line antibiotics fail, doctors must keep switching drugs. Each failed attempt gives the infection more time to spread.
2. Longer  hospital stays and higher mortality: Patients with resistant infections often need intensive care, and their risk of severe complications rises sharply.
3. Limited options and stronger, toxic medicines: Doctors sometimes have to use older antibiotics with harsh side effects because modern drugs no longer work.
4. Pressure on emergency doctors to act blindly: With no instant tests to reveal resistance patterns, clinicians must guess, balancing urgent treatment with responsible antibiotic use.
5. The growing threat inside hospitals: Resistant germs spread easily in healthcare settings, putting vulnerable patients at even greater risk.

How to stop infections from becoming critical battles

• Strong antimicrobial stewardship, using antibiotics only when truly needed.
• Rapid diagnostic tools to guide targeted treatment
• Strict hygiene and infection control measures in hospital
• Public awareness on not demanding antibiotics for every fever
• Investment in new medicines and alternative therapies