"Putting these particular antibiotics under the control of veterinarians will make it harder for farmers to use them. And it will increase the cost of doing so, something Laxminarayan predicted will discourage nonessential use.
“Anything that increases the cost of using antibiotics essentially will push manufacturers away from using antibiotics,’’ he said.
Scientists and public health professionals have long warned that the increasing use of antibiotics in the rearing of food animals such as chickens, pigs and cattle, and farmed fish and seafood is fueling a rise in so-called superbugs — bacteria capable of evading the drugs.
That puts at risk procedures that have revolutionized modern medicine. Organ transplants, cardiac bypass surgeries, even safe caesarean section births are an accepted part of medical practice but could become much more dangerous to perform if superbugs continue to proliferate...
it is estimated that about 70 percent of antibiotics are used in agriculture, often not to treat illnesses but to fend off diseases linked to the crowded, high-stress conditions of factory farming or to promote growth."
I recently developed a skin infection that probably came from a cut so small that it healed before I could notice it, but I had to take some serious antibiotics and I had this weird realization that a century ago I probably would have had to cut the finger off.
I mentioned this to my mom and she gave me a look and said that they probably would have cut off the hand to be safe.
So, I'm seriously appreciating antibiotics right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment