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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Report Stresses Need to Curtail Antibiotics in Pork Production

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Wednesday, June 6, 2018   

DES MOINES, Iowa - The amount of antibiotics used to keep pigs from getting sick now rivals the amount consumed by humans - without evidence the pigs are getting healthier, according to a report released today.

The Natural Resources Defense Council report is an in-depth look at antibiotics in the pork industry and the consequences for human and animal health. The study found that roughly 27 percent of medically important antibiotics are sold for pork production, compared with 27.6 percent for treating humans.

NRDC senior health officer David Wallinga said the widespread practice of feeding antibiotics to pigs that aren't sick in hopes of preventing disease isn't working.

"We know that the use of antibiotics, regardless of where that use happens, is what drives bacteria to become resistant to them," he siad. "And if we're already using about as much on pig farms as we are in human medicine, that's a problem."

Wallinga said diseases such as E-coli infections, pneumonia and meningitis are more prevalent in pigs today than they were in 2000. He said the group timed its report to coincide with the World Pork Expo today in Des Moines, asking U.S. pork producers to end routine antibiotic overuse.

Denmark and the Netherlands, which together produce about as many pigs as Iowa, have cut their antibiotic use in hog production by 27 percent and 57 percent, respectively, Wallinga said. They've replaced the drugs with more frequent cleaning, improved ventilation and less cramped quarters. Wallinga said he believes the United States should do the same - and not only for the animals.

"If you're within a mile of a pig barn," he said, "then it's very possible that you're breathing air with drug-resistant bacteria."

It's estimated that more than 2 million Americans suffer antibiotic-resistant infections each year, and at least 23,000 die as a result.

The "Better Bacon" report is online at nrdc.org.


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