SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The UK-commissioned Review on Antimicrobial Resistance [PDF] has been released, and it contains findings and recommendations relating to antibiotic use and drug-resistant infections. The review recommends dramatically cutting the amount of antibiotics used in livestock:
The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance called for new targets on the amount of antibiotics used. The great threat of excessive antibiotics use in agriculture was highlighted in China last month. Scientists warned the world was on the cusp of the "post-antibiotic era" after discovering bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin - the medication used when all others have failed.
In some cases, antibiotics are used in agriculture to treat infections - but most are used prophylactically in healthy animals to prevent infection or, controversially, as a way of boosting weight gain. Using antibiotics as growth promoters was banned in the EU in 2006. Such uses are more common in intensive farming conditions.
Based on current rates, the global consumption of antibiotics is expected to increase by 67% by 2030. In the US alone, every year, 3,400 tonnes of antibiotics are used on patients, while 8,900 tonnes are used on animals. The economist who led the review, Jim O'Neill, said such figures were simply "staggering" and 10 million people would die each year from drug-resistant infections by 2050.
He said a reasonable target for agricultural antibiotic use would be 50mg for every 1kg of livestock - a level already achieved by one of the world's biggest pork exporters, Denmark. The UK uses just over 50mg/kg, the US uses nearly 200mg/kg, while Cyprus uses more than 400mg/kg.
Mr O'Neill told the BBC: "I'm sure many farmers will immediately think, 'Well, if we have to do this, that means the price goes up and I'll go out of business'. "The Danish example shows that, after a very initial transition cost, actually over the long term prices weren't affected and Denmark has continued to maintain its market share."
The report also warns of "superbugs" in under-cooked meat.
Editors Note: A link shortner had to be used on the first link due to a bug in the URL processor on the site that removes the %20 in hyperlinks.
The tinyurl used points to this link:
http://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/Antimicrobials%20in%20agriculture%20and%20the%20environment%20-%20Reducing%20unnecessary%20use%20and%20waste.pdf
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Gravis on Wednesday December 09 2015, @11:11PM
humanity is going to reap what it sows sooner or later and when that happens, i think the population will be decimated. third world countries with poor sanitation and poor education are going to be hit the hardest. the media will be demanding answers to why politicians let this happen for so long but we already know the answer is money. greedy humans can be so fucking stupid and if a plague is what is required to wipe them out, bring on the super diseases! they'll be first against the wall in what remains of humanity.