Infected, not recovering? Blame it on the tandoori chicken!
Study finds high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in poultry farms in Punjab that could impact people’s health
Love for chicken delicacies — be it butter chicken or fried — may involve a health risk for not only Indians but the entire world, a new study warns. According to the Indo-American study, Punjab, famous for its large and crowded poultry farms, may be sprouting ‘superbugs’ or bacteria that are resistant to routine antibiotics.
The study reports high prevalence of antibioticresistant bacteria detected in poultry farms in Punjab and warns of potentially disastrous consequences to human health due to use of growth-promoting antibiotics in animal farming.
“The world is on the brink of losing these miracle cures,” said recently-retired WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, referring to antibiotics that were hailed as “wonder drugs”, the miracles of modern medicine.
Crowded poultry farms could be breeding superbugs in Punjab, finds the new study.
Next time you get an infection that is hard to cure by routine antibiotics a phenomenon ominously called the emergence of superbugs, one may want to blame the poultry farms, especially from Punjab where experts say use of antibiotics is rampant for rapidly fattening chickens.
Poultry farms are deploying antibiotics treat sick animals but to fatten them quickly. not to
The study led by researchers from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), Washington DC published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives finds high levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in chickens raised for both meat and eggs on farms in Punjab.
The study raises serious concerns over the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in farm animals.
“Overuse of antibiotics in animal farms endangers us all as it multiplies drug resistance in the environment,” said study author and CDDEP Director Ramanan Laxminarayan.
“Punjab is one of the leading states in India in poultry farming. It is critical that we take measures to end the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in animal breeding practices.”
According to the WHO, Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever- increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.
“AMR has huge implications for India” says Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India.