The rampant use of antibiotics in poultry and the animal farm sector is putting human lives at risk, leading to resistance and growing difficulties in treating common bacterial infections.
This is the main concern that scientists and public health experts raised during a conference of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on antibiotic resistance held last Nov. 3, citing the large-scale, frequent, and unnecessary use of such medications on animals to speed up their growth and prevent disease, particularly in livestock and farming nation India.
Prof. N. K. Mahajan of Lala Lajpat Rai University pointed out a yawning gap in the country’s regulations and preparedness in handling the escalating public health problem.
“Judicious use of antibiotics will be in the interest of poultry farmers,” he said, mentioning how the farmers often complained about the ineffectiveness of antibiotics and hence they keep adding them to the drugs they give to the birds.
Prof. Mahajan emphasized the need to educate farmers on bio-security measures, as well as the Drugs Control department’s regulation of antibiotic use in animal feed.
“The irrational use of antibiotics in humans and animals is going to put us in a huge quandary,” warned Dr. Chand Wattal of Ganga Ram Hospital, its senior consultant in microbiology, stressing that human wellness is specifically at risk.
Dr. Neelam Kler, senior neonatology consultant in the same hospital, said antibiotic-resistant bacteria can alter the condition of newborns – particularly their whole microbiota – and affect them for a lifetime.
According to him, antibiotic resistance affects kids’ ability to be treated successfully of infections and even brings about obesity and other non-communicable illnesses in later life.
CSE recommends driving down the overuse and misuse of antibiotics both in animals and humans. Its deputy director general Chandra Bhushan highlighted the broad consensus on what needs to be done, along with an action plan with the government. “We need this to be implemented,” he said.
In 2014, a CSE study showed that antibiotics are pumped into chickens to treat disease or incorporated in feed to promote growth. This is done for a number of days in most cases, even without a sign of infection. Resistant bacteria in chicken meat are transmitted to human through food consumption, direct contact, or the environment.
Research from Princeton University also warned that antibiotic use in animals will likely increase by two-thirds around the world from 2010 to 2030, and will probably double in emerging powers such as China, India, Russia, and Brazil.
Photo: United Soybean Board | Flickr
