Context:To reduce the magnitude of antimicrobial resistance, there is a need to strengthen the knowledge for future prescribers regarding use and prescription of antibiotics. Before that, it is required to have a conclusive evidence about knowledge, attitude, and practices of that group.Aim:To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and the practices of medical students in India with respect to antibiotic resistance and usage.Settings and Design:It was a cross-sectional study which was done online through Google forms for a period of 4 months from July to October 2018.Materials and Methods:A structured questionnaire containing a five-point Likert scale was sent to medical students across India by sharing link through contacts of Medical Students Association of India. Respondent-driven sampling technique was also adopted for the study.Statistical Analysis Used:Descriptive statistics, parametric (Chi-square), and nonparametric (Kruskal--Wallis and Mann--Whitney U) tests.Results:A total of 474 responses were received from 103 medical colleges across 22 states of India. The mean score of knowledge was 4.36 ± 0.39. As compared to first year students, knowledge was significantly higher among students of all the years. As much as 83.3% students have consumed antibiotics in previous year of the survey. Around 45% of medical students accepted that they buy antibiotics without a medical prescription.Conclusion:The knowledge level of medical students was quite satisfactory. As far as attitude and practices are concerned, there is a substantial need for improvements.

8Background: To reduce the magnitude of antimicrobial resistance, there is a need to change the 9 knowledge and behavior of future prescribers regarding use and prescription of antibiotics. This 10 can be ensured through the appropriate training of next generation doctors and medical students. 11But, before planning or strengthening any teaching or training program for any group, it is required 12 to have a conclusive evidence about knowledge, attitude and practices of that group. With this 13 background this study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes and the practices of 14 medical students in India with respect to antibiotic resistance and usage 15 Methods: It was a cross-sectional study which was done online through google forms. A semi-16 structured questionnaire containing a five point Likert scale was used for the data collection. The Results:The overall mean score of awareness for the students was 4.36 + 0.39. As compared to 21 first year students, mean score of awareness was significantly higher among students of all the 22 years. A significantly better awareness was also observed among pre final year students as 23 compared to other years. Variable practices have been observed regarding use of antibiotics among 24 medical students. 25 Conclusion:The awareness level of medical students regarding antibiotics and its resistance was 26 quite satisfactory. As far as attitude and practices are concerned, there is a significant need for 27 improvements.28

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide. The COVID‐19 pandemic has overburdened healthcare services around the world especially in resource constrained settings. It has shaken already unstable foundation of TB control programs in India and other high burden states. A 25% decline is expected in TB detection while estimates suggest 13% increase in TB deaths due to the impact of the pandemic. However, the significant intersections between the two diseases perhaps offer potential opportunities for consolidating the efforts to tackle both. The widespread implementation and acceptance of universal masking and social distancing in India has helped limit transmission of both diseases. Integrating the capacity building strategies for the two diseases, optimizing the existing the surveillance and monitoring systems which have been achieved over the years will result in a single vertically integrated national program addressing both, rather than multiple parallel program which utilize the already sparse primary care manpower and infrastructure. In this article, we explore the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on tuberculosis in India and offer suggestions on how effective health planning can efficiently integrate infrastructure and manpower at primary level to provide care for both COVID‐19 and tuberculosis.

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