New Delhi: The New Delhi Superbug has been found in water samples in the capital, according to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
British researchers found the NDM-1 Superbug in 2 of 50 tap water samples and 51 of 171 samples of water from puddles in Delhi.
The big question is, does that leave us at risk of infection from bacteria carrying this drug-resistant gene?
"The answer is no. While the superbug may be there in the water that your drink but for it to cause infections, the concentration has to be very very high," said Dr Amit Varma.
"As long you drink boiled water, you got no harm. It's like any other bacteria present in the water," said Dr R Lakshminarayan.
The Health Ministry isn't pleased with the latest study, saying it was illegal in the first place to remove water samples from the country. They feel India's medical tourism industry is the target here.
"We are not denying there is a problem, but the methods are unscientific," said Dr VM Katoch.
But there's no denying the concern. The study found the NDM-1 Superbug in 11 different types of bacteria, including those that cause dysentery and cholera.
"The bigger issue here is that earlier it was only one type of bacteria with NDM-1 gene. Now it's cholera etc bacteria as well, which basically means that we are losing the cheaper antibiotics that are available," said Dr R Lakshminarayan.
While the Government objects to this sort of scaremongering, it does admit that there is a problem of antibiotics over use in the country, emphasising on the need for a new antibiotic policy.
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