The good news is that more and more countries have adopted measures to prevent the excessive and wrong use of antimicrobials. The bad news is that these drugs continue to be extensively utilised to accelerate growth in livestock, often to obtain greater commercial benefits. “Nearly all of these plans cover both human and animal health in line with the recommended ‘one health’ multi-sectoral approach,” FAO said on Nov 17. There are weak points that need shoring up, particularly in the food and agriculture sectors of low- and middle-income countries. Sometimes, when a few animals get sick, the whole livestock is treated to prevent the disease from spreading.

Source: New Strait Times December 15, 2017 00:33 UTC