World leaders are set to adopt a watered-down U.N. declaration on antimicrobial resistance, dropping firm targets for reducing antibiotic use in agriculture, sparking concern among health advocates.
Lisa Held reports for Civil Eats.
In short:
- The U.S. played a key role in removing a goal to reduce antibiotic use in agriculture by 30% by 2030 from a U.N. plan.
- Experts warn that vague commitments undermine efforts to address antibiotic resistance, which could lead to 10 million deaths annually by 2050.
- Advocacy groups argue that strong, measurable targets are critical to protecting public health from the dangers of resistant bacteria.
Key quote:
“We’ve known for a very long time that the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture is really problematic for public health.”
— Andre Delattre, senior vice president and COO for programs at the Public Interest Network
Why this matters:
Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to global health, fueled by the overuse of medically important drugs in livestock. Without firm international commitments, millions of lives could be at risk as resistant bacteria become harder to treat.
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