New diseases: Antibiotic resistance, gaming disorder

New Delhi, June 19

In its latest International Classification of Diseases, the WHO has included new emerging challenges of antibiotic resistance, gaming disorders besides ensuring sleep disorders are more defined.

The focus on anti-microbial resistance is of special interest to India that has the world’s largest burden of antibiotic resistance. The latest ICD revision is the 11th in WHO’s history and comes after three decades of the last revision.

Although gambling disorder was part of the previous classification, gaming disorder has been included this time after the WHO’s ICD committee received solid evidence from the world over that game addiction had become a public health problem.

The ICD, however, clarifies that online gaming itself does not constitute a disorder and becomes one only after a full year of symptoms that show a person addicted to gaming at the cost of his other health priorities such as nutrition and sleep. WHO experts said gaming disorder could afflict people of any age, but is more likely to impact children. — TNS