A routine international trip turned into a revealing health lesson for an Indian traveler in Brazil. What began as a simple viral fever soon exposed the stark contrast between India’s casual antibiotic usage and Brazil’s strict medical discipline. The experience didn’t just lead to recovery from illness, but also opened a troubling window into how India’s antibiotic culture may be silently pushing the country toward a public health crisis.
Before Brazil taught him a lesson that no Indian doctor had ever learned, he believed that having a fever abroad was the worst-case situation. A pharmacy lacking an amoxicillin counter, a diagnosis devoid of immediate antibiotics, a recuperation that was independent of a pill strip — something unsettling came to light after that week of coughing and confusion: perhaps India has been accelerating rather than treating illness, and the cost is on us.
India’s Misconceptions About Antibiotics Became Clear After He Got Sick In Brazil
Over the past thirty years, he has visited over a dozen nations and, to his amazement, he has never once become ill outside of India. Last month, when he traveled to Brazil for COP30, that streak was finally broken. What started off as a straightforward viral illness evolved into something far more illuminating: a window into the disparities in antibiotic treatment across two countries and the significance of those differences for public health.
India’s Informal Medical Culture’s Comfort
His healthcare regimen is easy and familiar back home. The ecosystem that most Indians depend on is a doctor’s prescription, a reliable chemist, and occasionally a neighbor or friend who may offer guidance. He talks to them about common ailments like colds and coughs, considers their advice, and then determines whether or not to take medication.
The anti-allergic + antibiotic prescription rarely changed, even when the doctors determined that his infections were viral.
Despite the fact that antibiotics do not treat viral illnesses, the explanation was always comforting but flawed: “Take antibiotics to prevent a secondary bacterial infection.” “Prevention” ceased to be a medical necessity and instead became a common excuse.
This strategy caught up with him a few years ago. He had a chronic cough that persisted for months following one needless dose of antibiotics. He has been much more cautious since then, but not enough.
Getting Sick In Brazil: A Completely Different Story
In Brazil, the fever and fatigue started on day four. Who knows where viruses might hide — long flights, chilly conference rooms, crowded shuttle buses? As usual, he started with natural therapies like salt gargles, steam inhalation, warm liquids, and paracetamol.
When his symptoms worsened on day six, he messaged his Indian doctor. The prescription arrived promptly and, as expected:
- Paracetamol
- Anti-allergic
- An all-purpose antibiotic
- Lozenges for the throat
- Cough suppressant
- Vitamins
He entered a nearby drugstore with the prescription in hand, and what transpired next was nothing short of shocking.
Antibiotics Are Difficult To Distribute In Brazil, And That’s The Point
His Indian prescription was rejected by the chemist at the Brazilian drugstore after only one glance; only a locally issued prescription was accepted. The chemist calmly divided what he could purchase, like vitamins, lozenges, and paracetamol, from what he couldn’t, like antibiotics, and pointed him in the direction of a government urgent care center that is open around-the-clock, urging that he visit a doctor first. He reluctantly entered, expecting huge lines and bureaucracy, only to discover a tidy, effective, and friendly facility where the consultation was free and translation applications helped them overcome their language barrier.
After giving him a full examination, the doctor looked at his Indian prescription and set it away. The doctor clarified, “This is a viral infection.” “It will go away on its own in ten to twelve days.” The treatment regimen was remarkably straightforward: throat lozenges, saline nasal rinse, and paracetamol for high fever. Not a single antibiotic. Not a single anti-allergic. No need to take medication just for the purpose of taking it.
The doctor grinned and corrected him when he noted his greenish sputum, which was frequently diagnosed as bacterial back home. The doctor pointed out that viral diseases can also cause colored sputum and color by itself does not support the use of antibiotics. Years of presumptions about disease and medicine started to disintegrate in that instant.
Something India Hates To Accept Was Found In A Lab Test
He was still a little sick when he got back to India. He had a sputum culture done out of curiosity. The report indicated considerable bacterial development after three days.
Antibiotics were promptly recommended by his Indian physician after reviewing it. The Brazilian physician mentioned something that very few Indian patients hear:
“This will become evident by itself. Antibiotics are still not necessary for you.” He paid attention.
He recovered thirteen days after becoming ill without using any antibiotics or anti-allergics. As the issue is not limited to people, as growth enhancers, antibiotics are widely utilized in livestock and poultry, discreetly infiltrating our bodies, food, and surroundings.
We are becoming reservoirs for microorganisms that are resistant. The very medications we rely on may stop working when a major infection occurs.
India Has A Plan, But It Lacks The Will To Carry It Out
He was a member of the group that created India’s initial National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (2017–2021), which has since been updated for 2025–2029. Both expressly acknowledge the necessity of limiting the sale of over-the-counter antibiotics, bolstering surveillance, enforcing more stringent prescription guidelines, and controlling the use of antibiotics in livestock and agriculture. However, these policies are still mostly theoretical because they are useless if they are not put into practice.
Brazil chooses restraint, while India frequently chooses convenience. This difference is based on discipline rather than superior medical understanding. “Use antibiotics when they’re needed, not when you’re worried,” as the Brazilian doctor put it so succinctly.
India needs more than policy documents to move away from the verge of an antimicrobial resistance crisis; we need a cultural shift that puts patience, enforcement, and responsible medicine ahead of quick fixes.
What began as an ordinary viral infection for one Indian traveler in Brazil became a powerful lesson in medical restraint, discipline, and patience. The experience revealed how deeply convenience has shaped India’s antibiotic habits, often at the cost of long-term public health. Until enforcement becomes real and cultural behaviour begins to shift, antibiotic resistance will continue to grow as one of India’s most dangerous silent threats.
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