Antibiotic resistance a concern, says Ada E Yonath

CHENNAI: “The usage of certain antibiotics has nearly doubled in 2014 from that of 2010 and the resistance has resulted in over 30,000 deaths annually in the USA and Europe,” said Nobel Laureate, Professor Ada E Yonath at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Kattankulathur.

Stating that antibiotic resistance is growing to be a concern in India, Yonath said that the citizens in the USA and Europe across the world spent 1.6 billion euros on various diseases caused by antibiotic resistance in this period (2010 and 2014).

Over 3,000 students and the faculty from SRMIST took part in the lecture that delved into solutions to combat antibiotic resistance. Ada E Yonath who secured the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 presented the data that showed a significant increase in drug resistance among pathogens.

SRMIST’s Registrar Dr S Ponnusamy delivered the welcome address.