Download At least 2 million people each year become infected with antibiotic

KEEP OUR ANTIBIOTICS WORKING FOR US
Stop the Routine Use of Antibiotics on Farm Animals
In order to combat the alarming spread of drug-resistant bacteria, a key step is to ensure that
antibiotics are used sparingly on farm animals, and only on animals where disease is present.
Too many farm animals in Maryland, however, are fed a daily dose of antibiotics, not to treat
illness but to avoid “potential” disease that is not present, and which is better avoided by
eliminating unsanitary conditions. Antibiotics also have been misused to help animals gain
weight faster. The FDA has recognized this issue and has begun to address it, but the FDA
measures are insufficient and are unlikely to be strengthened in the near future.
The routine feeding of antibiotics to healthy animals kills off weak bacteria, but allows
antibiotic-resistant superbugs to develop, multiply, and spread. These superbugs enter the
environment where they lead to human illness and death.
To keep antibiotics working for future generations, we need to stop the routine use of medically
important antibiotics in livestock production.
Antibiotics Overuse: Why it Matters
Together we rely on antibiotics every day, to treat simple infections like strep throat and serious
illnesses like pneumonia. But these drugs are losing their effectiveness.
 At least 2 million people each year become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
 At least 23,000 people each year die from antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
 We lose at least $55 billion a year in hospital costs and lost worker productivity from antibioticresistant illness.
The Problem: Overuse of Antibiotics on Livestock
70% of medically important antibiotics sold in the US are for use in raising chickens, hogs, and
cattle on large farms.
The majority of these antibiotics are not used to treat sick animals. Many food animals are fed a
daily dose of antibiotics to help them gain weight or to avoid disease caused by unsanitary
conditions.
This accelerates the development of drug-resistant bacteria, which then can infect people
through contaminated food, airborne dust blowing off farms, and water or soil polluted with
contaminated feces.
“Antimicrobial resistance is a growing public health crisis. … Because of the link between antibiotic use in
food-producing animals and the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant infections in humans, antibiotic agents
should be used in food-producing animals only to treat and control infectious diseases and not to promote
growth or to prevent disease routinely.”
-American Academy of Pediatrics Technical Report, November 2015
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Web - http://www.sierraclub.org/maryland/legislation
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