Use of antibiotics in all parts of the food production chain contributes to an increasing level of antibiotic resistance.
Many scientists say this encourages the proliferation of dangerous infections and imperils public health.
At least 2 million people are sickened and an estimated 99,000 die annually from hospital-acquired infections, the majority the result of resistant strains. It is difficult to determine how many of these illnesses are deaths resulting from agricultural use of antibiotics but 80% of antibiotic use in the United States is in animals.
Earlier this year the Obama administration announced restrictions on agricultural uses of cephalosporins and the FDA issued rules that ask drug makers to voluntarily end the use of antibiotics in animals. A prescription from a veterinarian before using antibiotics in farm animals also became a requirement.
While this is a good start neither step is likely to fundamentally change large scale agricultural use of antibiotics because farmers now claim the drugs are used to prevent disease, rather than promote growth.

For more information regarding ideas for  health care reform, please go to medicalreforminitiative.org.

Thank you,

Ronit Lavie, M.D.