Antimicrobial resistance tightens grip on Keralam, say latest report
A new report from the Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network indicates that drug-resistant bacteria are becoming widespread in the state's hospitals. Data shows high resistance levels in common pathogens like E. coli and Klebsiella, including resistance to last-resort antibiotics.
Why it matters
Rising antimicrobial resistance poses a major public health threat, potentially rendering common infections untreatable and increasing mortality rates.
Antimicrobial resistance in Keralam is no longer a problem of intensive-care units and tertiary hospitals. The State’s antibiogram, covering laboratory data from January 1 to December 31, 2025, released by the Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (KARS-Net), confirms what public health experts have been flagging for years — that drug-resistant bacteria are the norm now, not the exception in the State’s hospitals.
It also brings up the grim fact that the State is now confronting AMR at several levels, from highly resistant pathogens in intensive care units to community-acquired bacteria such as Shigella, which is now resistant to common antibiotics.
KARS-Net, being coordinated by the Department of Microbiology at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, since 2019 under Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan (KARSAP), now spans 59 government and private institutions, with data gathered from 55 laboratories across 14 districts.
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