‘41pc of ICU patients showing total antibiotic failure’
Staff reporter :
A new national surveillance report by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has revealed a deeply alarming trend: 41 percent of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are no longer responding to any available antibiotics.
The findings were released on Monday during the launch of the National Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance Report at the IEDCR’s newly inaugurated Mohakhali facility.
Presenting the data, IEDCR Chief Scientific Officer Professor Dr Zakir Hossain Habib warned that the rise of “superbugs’’ resistant to all forms of treatment is escalating into a critical public health emergency.
The case-based surveillance, carried out between July 2024 and June 2025, analysed information from over 96,477 patients nationwide. Samples collected from five ICUs were tested against 71 antibiotics yet a significant portion of those samples showed zero effectiveness from the drugs.
The IEDCR reported that Pan-Drug-Resistant (PDR) organisms—bacteria resistant to every antibiotic tested were detected in 7 percent of all samples, but this rate soared to 41percent among ICU patients.
Meanwhile, Multi-Drug-Resistant (MDR) organisms made up 46 percent
of all isolates and an alarming 89 percent in ICU samples.
Dr Habib cautioned that the unchecked use of antibiotics is rapidly accelerating AMR, stating: “Unregulated antibiotic consumption is driving AMR to a critical level. This is now a major public health threat.”
He urged the public to act responsibly: “Save antibiotics, save yourself.”
Dhaka at the centre of antibiotic overuse According to the report, Dhaka accounts for 57 percent of all antibiotic consumption in Bangladesh, driven by its vast concentration of hospitals, clinics, and patients. Rajshahi, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Rangpur, and Sylhet follow in that order.
High antibiotic use was especially notable among urinary tract infection (UTI) patients.
The surveillance also recorded a steep rise in the use of WHO “Watch-Group” antibiotics—crucial drugs meant to be preserved due to their importance—jumping from 77percent to 90.9percent.
Ceftriaxone (33percent) and Meropenem (16percent) remained the most commonly used antibiotics across surveillance sites, continuing a trend seen in previous years.
Most-used antibiotics in Bangladesh
The top 10 antibiotics consumed nationwide are: Ceftriaxone, Cefixime, Meropenem, Ciprofloxacin, Azithromycin, Amoxicillin, Metronidazole, Cloxacillin, Piperacillin–Tazobactam, and Vancomycin.
‘Stop selling antibiotics without prescriptions’
IEDCR Director Professor Dr Tahmina Shirin stressed that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics are pushing the country deeper into an AMR catastrophe.
She highlighted that the IEDCR has been tracking AMR patterns since 2017 and now maintains one of Bangladesh’s largest databases on resistance trends.
Calling for strict enforcement, she said, “We must stop selling antibiotics without prescriptions. Public awareness is crucial.”
She also warned against taking antibiotics based on advice from untrained individuals:
“People often take antibiotics from pharmacies or quacks without proper medical guidance, and in many cases, this leads to resistance. I strongly urge everyone not to use antibiotics based on recommendations from non-registered practitioners.”