People have seen family live healthy lives thanks to new treatments. Farmers and veterinarians have cured deathly ill animals and prevented the suffering of even more.
Antibiotics and vaccinations have been leading tools in achieving, and securing, these gains. Vaccines have become a bedrock of disease prevention, allowing veterinarians to stop outbreaks before they occur. However, disease will always be a threat and some animals will become sick during their lives. Veterinarians rely on antibiotics to help them care for these ill animals.
However, our world is rapidly changing. Climate change spurs deadlier outbreaks, rising populations strain food supplies and diseases continually adapt to available tools. Governments and animal medicines companies have met similar challenges in the past though and can continue to do so.
By continually developing new medicines and supporting robust treatment programs, we will support farmers and veterinarians facing these evolving threats. We must also work together to ensure medicines remain effective by treating a sick animal with the right medicine, at the right dose, at the right time and with the right oversight. A principle known as – as little as possible, as much as necessary.
With this approach, antibiotics and vaccinations, alongside other key tools like proper nutrition, hygiene, and husbandry, can help veterinarians better protect the health of our animals long into the future.
ANTIBIOTICS: FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO TODAY-
The modern era of antibiotics kicked off in 1928 when Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin could treat infections quickly and effectively. However, historians have found evidence of antibiotic usage in ancient communities as far back as 2,000 years ago.
Communities in ancient China, Greece, Serbia and Egypt would press moldy bread against an infected wound as a primitive treatment. We know today that the antibiotics present in mold lent the bread its curative properties
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The red soils of Jordan were famous for their restorative nature when applied to wounds in ancient times. Researchers today have discovered antimicrobials in these soils.
The Nubians, a nomadic African community, regularly consumed tetracycline by brewing beer that contained the antibiotic6.
Ever since these first antibiotic treatments, we have faced resistant infections. Recent studies have found that certain resistant strains can be traced back thousands, even millions of years. It is a natural, evolutionary defence and an unavoidable challenge7.
However, through modern techniques and technologies, we can work to control and manage the issue to ensure antibiotics remain effective long into the future. This will safeguard the health and well-being of our families, communities and animals.
Managing antibiotic resistance
Effective antibiotics save the lives of countless people and animals each year. For the millions facing the dire symptoms of a disease like leptospirosis – high fever, muscle pains, vomiting and more – these invaluable tools prevent life-threatening consequences.
However, overuse or misuse of antibiotics can create heartier strains of resistant bacteria and weakens the tools available for fighting disease. For example, the U.S. CDC estimates that 1 out of 3 human antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary and could be treated with other methods. As a result, they have identified 18 drug-resistant threats to our health that must be controlled in order to protect the lives of friends and family.
This is why animal health professionals believe in a simple, clear and firm approach for antibiotics – as little as possible, as much as necessary. Each illness is unique, however, by working with professionals – from veterinarians to public health officials – farmers can develop the right treatment to keep our animals healthy, while preserving these tools for the future.
However, we cannot solve this problem alone. Two or three of the CDC’s 18 drug-resistant threats can originate in animals, campylobacter and non-typhoidal Salmonella. Tackling them all means the animal and human health sectors must collaborate in an open, transparent approach that focuses on clear, practical solutions. When animals get sick, they suffer just as we do. Veterinarians and farmers cannot afford to lose antibiotics or animals will pay the price. Managing resistance can be difficult, but it is possible. If animal and human health can work hand-in-hand on this challenge, we can safeguard our health for generations to come.
