Antimicrobial resistance-the next
COVID-19
By Microbiology Department(Microzone) Mount Carmel
College, Bengaluru.
On October 22nd, 2025, A team of 1st year undergraduate students from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, ran a
real-world awareness campaign on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) at the Allcargo Gati Warehouse. They aimed to
highlight one of today’s most critical global health issues in a corporate setting.
Bridging the knowledge gap.
The initiative was part of a microbiology assignment. It sought to close the knowledge gap about AMR. This term refers to
the way bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve to resist medicines meant to kill them if they are taken in wrong
doses or at the wrong times. The session included interactive presentations and a brief survey to gauge awareness levels
among the people
The presentation started with an explanation of how antibiotic overuse through self-medication, incomplete treatment
courses, and sharing of medicine allows resistant bacteria to survive and multiply.The students used a clever analogy,
comparing antibiotics to jokes and bacteria to people. Just as a joke, when repeated too often, loses its effectiveness or
humor, the repeated and overuse of an antibiotic allows bacteria to adapt until the drug ceases to be effective.The students
compared antibiotics to jokes and the bacteria to with the people., Howhow a joke, when repeated, ceases to be funny after
a while, similarly, antibiotics cease to be effective against the bacteria after a certain amount of time.
“We’ve never stopped any antibiotic mid-course nor have we taken any medicine without a doctor’s prescription,” said the
employees when inquired.
After the demonstration, employees filled out a structured survey. The initial data showed that most were unaware that
antibiotics do not work against viral infections like the common cold. However, after the presentation, 95% of respondents
correctly identified at least two ways to prevent AMR, such as completing prescribed antibiotic courses and avoiding
self-medication,while others promised to explain this to their family and friends to spread the awareness.
Doctor’s report
The team also included insights from Dr. Michael Gerald Gothorp Mawlong, a Consultant
Microbiologist at Nazareth Hospital, Shillong. He explained how common antibiotics like amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin
are losing their effectiveness. He stressed the increasing need for responsible antibiotic use, improved hygiene, and
ongoing research into new treatments.
He added that many hospitals now screen ICU patients for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as
MRSA and CRE to prevent hospital-acquired infections, but that delays in testing often force doctors to rely on
broader treatments until culture results arrive.
Call to Action: From Clinic to Corporate
AMR has wide-ranging consequences, including making simple infections harder to treat, increasing healthcare costs, and
complicating surgeries. The students’ campaign emphasized that awareness should extend beyond hospitals to workplaces
and communities.
The survey ended with a recommendation for companies to integrate annual health-awareness sessions on AMR into their
HR training programs and for the Government to enforce and host campaigns on AMR, as this could be the next
COVID-19.
This student-led initiative demonstrated how communication can transform complex microbiological concepts into public
awareness. It shows us that informed individuals are the first line of defense against antibiotic resistance.
