DHAKA — Antibiotics were not effective in 41 percent of patients admitted to intensive care units across the country, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) said in its 2025 antimicrobial resistance surveillance report.
IEDCR formally released the National AMR Surveillance Report 2025 on Monday.
The report said misuse and unregulated use of antibiotics, along with increasingly resistant pathogens, are causing the drugs to lose effectiveness in many cases. Antibiotic resistance — in which microbes do not respond to any antibiotic — is rising day by day.
Samples from 96,477 patients at various hospitals were tested between July 2024 and June 2025, the report found. A review of the effectiveness of 71 antibiotics across five ICUs showed no response in many cases.
Pan-drug-resistant (PDR) microbes were found in 7 percent of all samples, the report said. In ICUs, the rate was 41 percent. Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) microbes accounted for 46 percent of all samples but reached 89 percent in ICUs.
Use of “Watch” group antibiotics — under the World Health Organization’s classification — rose from 77 percent to 90.9 percent. The most-used antibiotics were ceftriaxone (33 percent) and meropenem (16 percent).
The report was presented by IEDCR Director Prof. Tahmina Shirin and Chief Scientific Officer (Virology) Prof. Zakir Hossain Habib.
“Sales of antibiotics without prescription must be stopped. Public awareness is essential. No one should use antibiotics without a registered doctor’s advice,” Shirin said. “Many patients take antibiotics on the advice of shop staff or unlicensed doctors, which is the main cause of resistance. People often get antibiotics from pharmacies or quack doctors without medical advice, and this drives resistance in many cases. I strongly urge everyone not to use antibiotics on the advice of anyone unregistered.”
Habib said indiscriminate use of antibiotics is increasing resistance among microbes. AMR is now a major public health crisis, he said.
Calling on everyone to be cautious about antibiotic use, Habib said: “Save antibiotic, save yourself.”
According to the survey, 57 percent of all antibiotics used in the country are used in Dhaka. The rate is higher in the capital because of better medical facilities, specialty hospitals and a heavy patient load. Rajshahi, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Rangpur and Sylhet follow. High antibiotic use was also seen among patients with urinary tract infections.
The 10 most-used antibiotics are ceftriaxone, cefixime, meropenem, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, amoxicillin, metronidazole, cloxacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam and vancomycin.
Experts said excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics will worsen the situation in the future.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report