Govt. to probe any 'ulterior motives' behind superbug claim

New Delhi, Aug 13 (ANI): The Central Government has strongly rejected charges levelled by a British study for allegedly exporting a multiple drug-resistant superbug to the rest of the world, and said there was a need to find out whether some 'ulterior motives' were behind the claim.

"We are all concerned about it. Superbug is a global phenomenon. It is not area or country specific. I can tell you this with all the responsibility under my command," said Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi, while talking to the reporters' outside the Parliament today.

"You have read that Kumarswamy Kartikan, one of the co-authors of the report has denied, he has disassociated, from this report," he added.

Trivedi said the country cannot take the reports lying down and ought to get to the depth of it.

"Obviously, we have to find out if there are some kind of ulterior motives or not of some pharmaceutical industries as well. I personally feel that sometimes, some things are commercially motivated," said Trivedi.

"So, we ought to get into the detail and depth of it. As a country we cannot take anything lying down. As far as drug resistance is concerned, it was a separate issue," he added.

Strongly objecting to naming the bug after New Delhi, Trivedi said it is like HIV and the first patient to be infected with HIV was in America.

The government has also asked for a detailed report from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the Director General of Health Services on the NDM1 superbug. (ANI)