FROM THE URBAN HEALTH MATTERS BLOG BY AMANDA LI
Academy hosts forum on taming a growing, national health threat
With resistance to antibiotics prevalent in every country across the globe and more than 2 million people infected annually with antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the United States alone, antibiotic resistance is posing significant risks to human health. In fact, the World Health Organization classifies it as “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development today.”
What is causing this major health challenge?
Most people assume that antibiotic resistance develops because of the misuse of antibiotics in the treatment of infections. That’s correct, but it’s just a small part of the story. Only 20 percent of cases of antibiotic resistance occur when physicians unnecessarily prescribe them for viral infections or patients fail to take the drugs correctly.
Approximately 80 percent of antibiotic resistance is created by the overuse of the drugs in food production. Antibiotics are regularly used by industrial farms in the raising of livestock, fish and poultry. By feeding antibiotics to animals, farms can stimulate quicker growth as well as compensate for exposing animals to unclean environments. Although economically beneficial for the farms, this practice contributes greatly to the antibiotic resistance in humans who consume poultry, meat and fish.
The dangers of antibiotic resistance are real and all around us, but so are the increasing efforts to fight it. In recognition of the health risks that come with using antibiotics in agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has implemented a new policy that tightens the rules for antibiotic use in livestock. This policy prohibits the use of medically important antibiotics to speed the growth of healthy animals.
The FDA now requires antibiotic prescriptions given to animals that will be used for food to be administered only with a veterinarian’s approval and supervision. Additionally, the New York State Department of Health has created the NYS Antimicrobial Resistance Prevention and Control Task Force, a collaboration across local, state and federal agencies. The aim of this task force is to develop recommendations and statewide strategies to fight antimicrobial resistance within New York State. The Academy works to inform policy makers about the need and benefits of policy changes related to this issue through its work with organizations such as Health Care Without Harm and its Designing a Strong and Healthy New York initiative.
Stopping increasing antibiotic resistance means working with communities, physicians, farmers, the food industry and policy makers to find new ways to address this growing health threat. That’s why leading activists and experts are coming together at the Academy, on February 7, 2017 from to share the latest ideas, insights and solutions for protecting our health.
Join us for “Antibiotic Stewardship in Agriculture and Health Care,” February 7, 2017, from 6-8 pm at 1216 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029, with panelists:
- Dr. Jennifer Obadia, PhD, who is the Eastern U.S. Regional Director at Health Care Without Harm and leads their Healthy Food in Health Care program.
- Dr. Saul Hymes, MD, who is a physician at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and serves on the New York State Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance.
- Dr. Ken Jaffe, MD, who is a former family physician who raises grass-fed beef in the Catskill region of New York, and supplies meat to fine restaurants and hotels, which supports a farm-to-school program that brings grass-fed beef to children in kindergarten through 12th grade.
- Dr. Kimberly Libman, PhD, MPH, who is the Director for Prevention and Community Development Center for Health Policy and Programs at the New York Academy of Medicine.
The panel will explore how the overuse and misuse of antibiotics is breeding antibiotic resistant bacterial strains and how leaders in agriculture and health care are responding.
Register here to join us on the 7th.