Indian neonates highly resistant to first-line antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance is a growing challenge when it comes to treating neonates with infections. Doctors say that in Indian neonates, the resistance to first-line antibiotics is nearly 90%, which is an alarming sign.

Babies up to 28 days of life are termed neonates. According to the Center For Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, nearly one million children die in the first four weeks of life every year in India. Of these, 190,000 deaths are caused by sepsis, a bacterial infection that overtakes the bloodstream. As many as 30% of sepsis deaths are attributed to antibiotics resistance.