'No need to panic over superbug'
The Health Ministry today asked people not to panic over reports of presence of drug-resistant bacteria in the public water supply of the capital, stating that it is a global issue not specific to any one country.
"I have not read the report so I wouldn't comment. It is present everywhere not only in water. There is no need to panic," Secretary, Department of Health, Research V.M. Katoch said.
He said that no one country needs to be blamed for this (the superbug).
"Hospitals should follow appropriate safety norms. But it is a global message not only for one country. There is nothing new," he said, adding that if the report applies to India, then it applies to Europe also. "There is no scientific relevance in this," he said.
International medical journal 'Lancet' reported that deadly superbug NDM-1 was found in about a quarter of water samples taken from drinking supplies and puddles on the streets of New Delhi. Experts say it is the latest proof that the new drug-resistant bacteria, named after New Delhi, is widely circulating in the environment and could potentially spread to the rest of the world.
The superbug can only be treated with a couple of highly toxic and expensive antibiotics. Since it was first identified in 2008, it has popped up in a number of countries, including the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada and Sweden. Most of those infections were in people who had recently travelled to or had medical procedures in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh.
India had earlier protested against the naming of the bug after its capital, saying the research was not supported by scientific data.
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