The antibiotics that we rely on are becoming ineffective. Animals are prescribed routine, low-doses of antibiotics to prevent infection, creating the perfect breeding ground for antibiotic resistant bacteria. The World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Center for Disease Control all agree that these antibiotic resistant bacteria leave the farm and pose a human health risk.
Antibiotic resistant bacteria leave the farm and infect humans through contaminated meat, air, water, soil, or through the farm workers who have daily exposure. Way back in 1976, a study showed the connection between feeding animals tetracycline (a human antibiotic) and tetracycline-resistance in the farm workers. We have known about this problem for years, and we need to act to make sure that we can continue to use our antibiotics. Chemotherapy, organ transplants, joint replacement surgery, c-sections, and other procedures are becoming more dangerous due to the rise of "superbugs."
The Keep Antibiotics Effective Act would limit the use of medically-important antibiotics to only treat animals that are actually sick. We cannot afford to squander the effectiveness of our medically-important antibiotics by applying them at routine, low-doses.
The hearings for the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act are February 14th and 15th! Please email and/or call your state senator and delegates to tell them that you want to safeguard antibiotics for the years to come: Keep Antibiotics Effective and Support SB422/HB602!
