Another Reason Why Meats Are Dangerous
03 June 2009
by Anai Rhoads
AnaiRhoads.org -- The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming has launched a new ad campaign that is expected to hit Washington, D.C. metro stations and trains this week in order to address the overuse of antibiotics in livestock.
The ads will be promoted in the Capitol South and Union Station Metro stops and Metro cars on the red and blue/orange line trains throughout this month. The ads will also be available online as well as in newspapers that cover Capitol Hill news.
Currently, up to 70 percent of U.S. antibiotics go to healthy farm animals in order to offset poor sanitation. By employing antibiotics in this manner, strains of drug-resistant bacteria have quickly developed - putting our health at risk.
"Human antibiotics are routinely misused on industrial farms to compensate for crowded, stressful and unsanitary conditions," said Laura Rogers, a project director with the Pew Health Group.
Several leading medical groups, such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics are concerned with the growth of bacterial infections resistant to antibiotic treatment as well.
Humans are prescribed similar antibiotics such as tetracycline, erythromycin and ciproflaxin to treat infections, however, livestock are being fed these types of antibiotics in lower doses. This is especially alarming because it is common knowledge that shortening doses in humans can lead to further infections. Somehow, this practice is lost on the farming industry, leading to far more dangerous forms of bacteria.
Produce is greatly affected by over antibiotic use, as the earth's soil and water is contaminated by this resistant bacteria. Those who are not vegans are at a higher risk of being exposed to salmonella and e.coli through the handling and consumption of animal products such as dairy, eggs and all meats.
Hospitals across the United States see approximately 325,000 patients annually that harbour a drug-resistant illness, with an estimated 5,000 deaths from salmonella and e.coli. These cases involve longer hospital stays and include multiple antibiotics in order to effectively treat these illnesses. This is a burden to the U.S. health care system, costing upwards of $5 billion per year to fight.
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