It's my responsibility to fight AMR

Posted on 06/12/2022 by Our Supporters

The potential pandemic that’s looming around overhead is AMR

Vikash Kumar works as a Research Intern for Animals in Farming at World Animal Protection India. Through his Dissertation “Antidiabetic Bioactive Peptides : Insilico approaches to study Antidiabetic Bioactive Peptides” he made an attempt to develop an anti-diabetic peptide database by using machine learning techniques(SVM). Being an environmental enthusiast, he supported the ongoing global campaign "Save Soil"

The Potential Pandemic --- AMR

I am pretty sure, after the pandemic, we have heard for sure that if we didn’t do the right things for the well-being of our planet, the Human species wouldn’t survive. The human species could die off because of climate change, civil wars or another pandemic. The potential pandemic that’s looming around overhead is AMR.

Before joining World Animal protection

As a science student, I was aware of the antimicrobial resistance concept. It occurs when you take medicines regularly or for a longer period of time; the germs or microbial life in your gut become resistant. It’s kind of in martial arts, the same type of attacks won’t work on your opponents twice. Similarly, the same kind of medicine won’t work on the bacteria/fungus/virus after it becomes resistant.

I was non-vegetarian through my teens, but after watching the Netflix documentary “what the Health, " I became aware that constantly eating meat/red meat or fish could be harmful and cause or exacerbate the cardiovascular disease. It also shows the immense cruelty that animal has to endure before coming to our plate. I was skeptical about the show and thought it was promoting veganism. And you know it doesn’t happen in India, right? I was so wrong about it.

Although I gave up the non-vegetarian diet because it was affecting my yoga practices. After doing only a few weeks of yoga, it's like my body could recognise what food is causing and what affects the body. Green foods or grams give full energy, while heavy food like meat or egg causes lethargy in the body. Then, I thought about why I always wanted to feel energetic, exuberant, or fatigued.

After joining the World Animal Protection

After spending a few months in this organisation, I read a number of articles and research papers pointing towards animal cruelty and lack of high welfare causing intensive farms to use antibiotics. Although we need to conduct more research in these areas, there are plenty of studies in the world and India that show the use of antibiotics in animal farming is the big chunk and hidden culprit for causing AMR.

Superbugs at DTEA school by World Animal Protection India

Many studies have pointed out that antibiotics should be banned as growth promoters, and the last line of antibiotics should be banned in animals.

After going through all research for my internship, I felt that it is my responsibility to stop the AMR. Although authorities have more power, each of us has our own kind of power to raise the voice for animals. You can help us to fight the AMR.