Superbug infection real risk of antibiotic misuse in meat production, WHO warns
Los Angeles — The US is falling behind Europe in the fight to curb the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in meat production and experts are warning of the possibility of dangerous drug-resistant "superbug" infections as a result, according to a new report on Tuesday. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the farm sector consumes about 80% of all medically important antibiotics in some countries. Meat producers around the world have used such drugs to prevent disease in healthy animals and to speed up their growth. Last week the WHO recommended eliminating both of those practices, saying they contributed to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The EU has banned farms from administering antibiotics to livestock without a veterinarian’s prescription or to boost growth. Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands go further by discouraging routine antibiotic use for disease prevention. The US only restricts the use of antibiotics for growth promotion. Four UK companies, including resta...
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