41 pc of ICU patients not responding to antibiotics: IEDCR
Published: 25 November 2025, 5:27:27
A new national surveillance report has revealed that antibiotics are failing in 41 percent of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in Bangladesh.
The findings were released on Monday as the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) formally published the National AMR Surveillance Report 2025.
According to the report, misuse and uncontrolled consumption of antibiotics, along with increasingly resistant pathogens, are causing medicines to lose their effectiveness. Antibiotic resistance is rising sharply across the country, with many bacteria no longer responding to any available drugs.
From July 2024 to June 2025, a total of 96,477 patient samples from hospitals nationwide were tested. In five ICUs, the effectiveness of 71 antibiotics was examined, and in many cases, no response was detected.
The data shows that 7 percent of all samples contained pan-drug-resistant (PDR) organisms, but the rate surged to 41 percent among ICU patients. Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens were detected in 46 percent of all samples and an alarming 89 percent of ICU samples.
Use of antibiotics in the WHO Watch category increased from 77 percent to 90.9 percent. Ceftriaxone (33 percent) and Meropenem (16 percent) were the most commonly used drugs nationwide.
The report was presented by IEDCR Director Professor Tahmina Shirin and Chief Scientific Officer (Virology) Professor Zakir Hossain Habib.
Tahmina Shirin warned that antibiotic sales without prescription must stop. She urged the public to avoid taking antibiotics without the advice of registered physicians, noting that many patients rely on pharmacy workers or unqualified practitioners, which strongly contributes to resistance.
Professor Habib said indiscriminate antibiotic use is accelerating resistance and described antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a major and growing public health crisis. He urged all citizens to use antibiotics responsibly, adding, “Save antibiotics, save yourself.”
The survey found that 57 percent of all antibiotics used in the country are consumed in Dhaka due to the concentration of healthcare facilities, specialist hospitals and high patient numbers. Rajshahi, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Rangpur and Sylhet followed. Antibiotic use was also high among patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs).
The ten most widely used antibiotics were ceftriaxone, cefixime, meropenem, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, amoxicillin, metronidazole, cloxacillin, piperacillin–tazobactam and vancomycin.
Experts warn that excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics could push the situation into an even more dangerous phase in the future.
The IEDCR cautioned that resistance against WHO-priority pathogens is rising rapidly. Unregulated sales, self-medication, misuse in the livestock sector and weak health systems are intensifying the threat. Without urgent action, even common infections may become deadly in the coming years.
