WORLD ANTIBIOTICS AWARENESS WEEK
- Posted by CERC India
- Posted in Media, Press Releases
New WHO Guidelines
CERC joins the awareness campaign on Antibiotic resistance
21st November 2017
Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern in the world today. It is estimated that at least several thousand people die each year because they are infected by bacteria that can no longer be killed by antibiotics. We all need antibiotics that work – for both humans and animals. But overuse and misuse has spurred resistance. To curb resistance, humans should go easy on antibiotics. The same has to apply to farm animals, who are still routinely given antibiotics, even if they don’t need them.
World Health Organization published new guidelines on use of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals, recommending that farmers and the food industry stop using antibiotics routinely to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals.These WHO recommendations aim to help preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics that are important for human medicine by reducing their unnecessary use in animals. In some countries, approximately 80% of total consumption of medically important antibiotics is in the animal sector, largely for growth promotion in healthy animals.
Over-use and misuse of antibiotics in animals and humans is contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance. Some types of bacteria that cause serious infections in humans have already developed resistance to most or all of the available treatments, and there are very few promising options in the research pipeline.
“WHO strongly recommends an overall reduction in the use of all classes of medically important antibiotics in food-producing animals, including complete restriction of these antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention without diagnosis. Healthy animals should only receive antibiotics to prevent disease if it has been diagnosed in other animals in the same flock, herd, or fish population.
Where possible, sick animals should be tested to determine the most effective and prudent antibiotic to treat their specific infection. Antibiotics used in animals should be selected from those WHO has listed as being “least important†to human health, and not from those classified as “highest priority critically importantâ€. These antibiotics are often the last line, or one of limited treatments, available to treat serious bacterial infections in humans.
 This initiative follows on our 2016 campaign ‘Antibiotics off the Menu’ featuring how global restaurant chains can help to tackle antibiotics resistance. Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC),Ahmedabad strongly urged the authorities to take urgent action to prevent the presence of antibiotic residues in food products which could be a serious health hazard.
For further information please contact
Dr. Dolly A. Jani
(O) 079-27489945/46
Email ID :Â cerc@cercindia.org
