KARS-Net report shows widespread antibiotic resistance in Kerala hospitals
Kerala is facing a growing problem with drug-resistant bacteria, according to the latest KARS-Net report.
Hospitals across the state are seeing more infections that don't respond to common antibiotics, including tough cases like Shigella.
The data, gathered from 65,849 unique-patient isolates across 14 districts, shows just how widespread this issue has become.
E. coli 73% Shigella 93% resistance
KARS-Net, which tracks this problem across 59 government and private institutions, found that 73% of E. coli blood samples can dodge many antibiotics, and almost half of Klebsiella infections resist even powerful drugs like carbapenems.
On a positive note, colistin still works against most bacteria here (with only 0.1% resistance), but Shigella's high resistance to ciprofloxacin (93%) is worrying.
Experts say it's time for urgent action and smarter use of antibiotics to keep treatments working for everyone.