Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture

Now more than ever, people must become aware of the close relationship between the health of animals, humans, and our environment. The One Health concept aims to better understand and address the health issues that arise from the intricate relationship between them.

Preventing and limiting the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, such as antibiotic resistant microbes, is a complex task that requires multidisciplinary collaboration. Doing so is key in enhancing the quality of patient care and improving clinical outcomes. Preventing diseases in animal agriculture is paramount for animal welfare and in safeguarding the food supply for all of us.

The emergence of antibiotic resistance is a great challenge for humans and animals, and as in any challenge, there is an opportunity to reverse this trend. To prevent diseases from happening in the first place, working within the One Health framework to implement infection prevention, control and biosecurity measures is key. By reducing disease rates in people and animals, antibiotics are used less, thereby decreasing the probabilities of antibiotic resistant microbes.

During this year’s Antimicrobial Awareness Week, let us recognize the importance of disease prevention and responsible antibiotic use as being important tools in the toolbox to preserve a key limited resource, antibiotics.