See Full Document Text
GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENTOFHEALTHRESEARCH
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 3352
TOBE ANSWERED ON 7TH AUGUST,2026
PREVALENCEOFSTAPHYLOCOCCI BACTERIA
3352.DR. SAMBITPATRA:
Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) whether the Government has conducted any study to assess the spread and prevalence of
Staphylococcibacteria inthe country, if so, the detailsthereof;
(b) whether the Government proposes to formulate any policy to ensure comprehensive monitoring
andreportingof environmental Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), if so, the detailsthereof; and
(c) the details of the action plan undertaken or proposed to be undertaken by the Government to
containthe spread of environmental antimicrobialresistance inthe country?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATEIN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE
(SHRIPRATAPRAOJADHAV)
(a): Staphylococcusis a commonly found bacteria living harmlessly on skin of healthy human
beings. Most of the time Staphylococcus does not cause any harm, but it can sometimes cause
infections. It can also cause severe and even fatal infections particularly in healthcare settings, in
high-risk patients like those on invasive devices or with weakened immune systems.
Many Staphylococcusbacterial infections can be treated and cured with traditional antibiotics.
Somestrains of Staphylococcus are antibiotic-resistant andneedtobe treated with newer antibiotics.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informedthat it has conducted hospital-based
surveillance through its Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance and Research Network (AMRSN)
across 20 tertiary care hospitals in the country. AMRSN collects and analyses Staphylococcus
aureus isolates obtained from clinical specimens and publishes annual reports on antimicrobial
resistance trends. Key findingsare:
In 2024, Staphylococcus species accounted for 13.2% of all bacterial isolates obtained from
clinicalspecimens underthe surveillance network.
The proportion of Staphylococcus isolates has declined from 18.7% in 2017 to 13.2% in
2024. Similarly, the proportion of Staphylococcus aureus isolates decreased from 12.5% in
2017to8.65% in2024.
Based onfour yearsof surveillance across the participatinghospitals, Staphylococcusaureus
(1.1%) infection was identified in 2,533 of 228,126 admitted patients. Of these, 1,190infections were reported among ICU patients, corresponding to 1.6% (1,190 of 73,671) of
allICU admissions.
(b)and(c): National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has informed that under the National
Programme on AMR containment, it has established sentinel surveillance network for surveillance
of AMR in 9 priority pathogens causing clinical infections, one of them being Staphylococcus
aureus, the speciesresponsible for most staphylococcalinfections.
The Government has released the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR)
2.0 (2025-2029) for the containment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Plan adopts One
Health approach and includes environmental AMR surveillance as one of its strategic priorities to
strengthen the monitoringand reportingof antimicrobial resistance across human, animal,food, and
environmentalsectors.
*****