More than 23,000 Americans die every year from antibiotic-resistant infections. Stopping the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms will help us keep our life-saving medicines effective. ADD YOUR NAME:
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Anonymous,
The train that hit David Ricci on his trip to India didn't kill him. But the antibiotic-resistant infection he contracted after his leg was amputated nearly did.
When he came back to the United States, doctors told David that the bacteria in his wound were too strong for regular antibiotics -- they would have to use a last-ditch drug with harmful side effects.[1] Thankfully, David beat the infection and lived to testify about his experience at a United Nations event hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[2] But thousands of Americans every year are not so lucky.
Tell the FDA: Take stronger action to preserve our life-saving antibiotics.
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Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often called "superbugs," are bacteria that have mutated to compete with even our strongest medicines. Superbugs kill at least 23,000 Americans every year, according to the CDC.[3] Another estimate from infectious disease researchers puts that number much higher, at 160,000.[4]
One time-tested way to fuel resistant bacteria is to overuse antibiotics, ensuring that only the toughest bacteria survive and multiply. Factory farms are some of the main offenders. Approximately two-thirds of medically important antibiotics sold in the U.S. are purchased by industrial farms for use on livestock.[5]
Many of those antibiotics are used routinely to prevent the diseases that arise in the crowded, unsanitary, stressful conditions endemic to factory farms. Such rampant overuse creates super-resistant bacteria that can then be passed onto humans. If we want our most important medicines to remain effective, we need to curb the overuse of antibiotics in food-producing animals.
Tell the FDA: Stop allowing the routine use of antibiotics in food-producing animals.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently proposed an update to its industry guidelines that will end the sale of medically important antibiotics over the counter.[6] This is a good step, but considering that only about 5 percent of these drugs are still available for over the counter sale, we need to do more.[7] The FDA should also stop the routine use of antibiotics in food-producing animals, and put limits on how long meat producers can use any medicines important to human health.
Experts estimate that by 2050, superbug deaths could overtake present-day cancer deaths annually unless we stop overusing our miracle-medicines.[8] Producing slightly cheaper meat is not worth losing a bedrock of modern medicine.
The FDA needs to act before the medicines we take for granted stop working altogether. Add your name today.
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Thank you,
Faye Park
President
1. David Ricci, "A 19-year-old from the Seattle area battles several NDM-1 positive antibiotic-resistant infections as he recovers from a train accident that cost him his right leg," Infectious Diseases Society of America, last accessed October 7, 2019.
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2. "United States Gathers 350 Commitments to Combat Antibiotic Resistance, Action Must Continue," CDC Newsroom, September 23, 2019.
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3. "Antibiotic / Antimicrobial Resistance (AR / AMR)," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reviewed September 10, 2018.
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4. "New Estimate of Annual Deaths Caused by Treatment Resistant Infections Highlights Gaps in Research, Stewardship, Surveillance," Infectious Diseases Society of America, December 3, 2018.
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5. Avinash Kar, David Wallinga, MD, "Livestock Antibiotic Sales See Big Drop, but Remain High," Natural Resources Defense Council, December 18, 2018.
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6. "CVM GFI #263 Recommendations for Sponsors of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs Approved for Use in Animals to Voluntarily Bring Under Veterinary Oversight All Products That Continue to be Available Over-the-Counter," Food and Drug Administration, September 23, 2019.
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7. Chris Dall, "FDA posts guidance on medically important antibiotics in animals," Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, September 24, 2019.
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8. Fergus Walsh, "Superbugs to kill 'more than cancer' by 2050," BBC News, December 11, 2014.
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