Types Of Transmission Method During The United States Essay

A couple times a year local and national mass media put the spotlight on problems connected to antibiotic overuse. Some people consider those problems to be real and serious, and others think that the discussed topics are nothing more than new “fashionable” subjects to talk about, distracting people from “real” problems, such as climbing gas prices or war expenses. Meanwhile, antibiotic overuse continues as a common practice among US doctors and agribusinesses for the last 20 years. The practice of antibiotic overuse has put patient’s health at risk, contributed to antibiotic resistance and increased bacterial mutation to a new, stronger level; as well as it hitting the economy with new costly expenses in health care. It is time to stop

Antibiotic use in animals has recently captured the attention of various professionals as the blatant, adverse effects have become increasingly prevalent. Agricultural manufacturers carelessly inject livestock with antibiotics in order to maximize their weight gain by minimizing the amount of energy consumed in fighting illnesses. This broad use of antibiotics in food-producing animals has contributed to the emergence and distribution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resulting in either mild or fatal illnesses. To put the severity of this issue in perspective, legislators must realize that 1 in 5 antibiotic-resistant infections are caused by bacteria from food and animals. Although antibiotic use in animals is not the sole culprit of the

The misuse of penicillin and other antibiotics however is causing the growing problem of antibiotic resistance in which seemingly harmless infections turn to be deadly and dangerous. Antibiotics are not only casually used as treatments for bacterial infections, but are also used in agriculture and veterinary medicine, creating controversy on the proper uses of antibiotics. As advancements in the medical fields proved to be beneficial for a short period of time, today the misuse of these innovations are creating more and more problems that have proven to be dangerous to the accustomed health of the global population. Antibiotics were not always considered to be a superficial medication and, in fact, have been naturally used for millions of years, like with ants and their symbiosis with antibiotic producing fungi. Humans do not fully realize the value that antibiotics have brought to the population and do not take measures to preserve their use. In contrast, humans take for advantage the natural benefits that is given to them to overly benefit themselves, such as while creating revenue through mass production despite warning from scientists. This selfish misuse leads to consequences in which the future will have to provide solutions for, and perhaps even follow in the ants’ footsteps.

It seems that human can start to overcome most of diseases by using antibiotics without any bad influence. But as time goes by, the side effects show up. The excessive use of antibiotics brings the disadvantages and problems with the heaps of advantages simultaneously. Antibiotics are not only exacerbating the health risk of animals, and human beings, but also exacerbating the environmental impairment. The antibiotics are used to treat and prevent diseases in human beings and animals’ medicine, but there are many kinds of risks deriving from the antibiotics therapies, which include the development and spread of resistant bacteria strains and environmental contamination; besides, the micro-biotic organism is also a big issue we need to concern about.

Many surveys and studies confirm the presence of pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater and effluents, reports WHO. However, according to WHO, studies in the US have detected very low levels

Nearly two trillion tons of animal waste are produced each year in America. All of which contain significant amounts of undigested antibiotics and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which could contaminate our surface and groundwater supplies, harm natural ecosystems, and eventually make their way back to

There is an extreme amount of waste created by raising so many animals in one place which then the surrounding land, air, and water becomes contaminated/ polluted by waste run-off. Even the residents of communities around factory farms reported many accounts of illnesses, and property values were lowered by their proximity to these farms. In an effort to try and counteract the health challenges brought up by the unsanitary, stressful, and overcrowded living conditions, antibiotics were used frequently, which can then create a drug-resistant bacteria and further puts human health at risk. Close to 75% of the antibiotics given to farm animals ends up undigested in their urine and manure. Through this waste, the antibiotics contaminate crops and waterways thus affecting human health.

Prophylactic antibiotics are “using antibiotics to guard against or prevent the spread or occurrence of disease or infection.” This is a paradoxical façade presented to us by the majority of the medical world, the cattle and animal agriculture industry, and the fortune 500 companies (Prophylaxis). Prophylactic antibiotics kill tens of thousands of people every year; approximately 23,000 people from last year alone had prophylactic antibiotic related deaths, and are suspected to significantly help the progression of superbugs (Threat Report 2013). Superbugs, or antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are one of the very likely results of prophylactic antibiotics, superbugs are a quiet crisis that people of the world should be aware of, considering

As the world’s population continues to grow exponentially, the area of arable farmland shrinks. As a result, new techniques in agriculture have been developed in order to produce more food using less land. Many of these techniques are considered innovative but come at the cost of the environment or human morality. One example, the large-scale use of antibiotics in livestock feeding, has become a staple of the American agriculture industry. Of all the agricultural advancements the industry has made since the days of the horse and plow, none has been as threatening to human health as the use of sub therapeutic levels of antibiotics (Schneider). Antibiotics are useful for sick animals, just as they are useful for sick humans. In the

Water is a necessity to basically every living being in the world, both human and nonhuman. Without this valuable resource, almost everything would perish in the world. Roughly 1.2 billion people worldwide lack access to potable water. Around 80% of ocean pollution enters our seas from the land. Any human activity can have an effect on the quality of our water environment. “One fifth of the world’s population consumes four-fifths of the world’s resources, leaving four-fifths of the world’s population with only one-fifth of the available resources” (Environmental Justice). Personal care products and pharmaceuticals, such as birth control pills, painkillers and antibiotics, are causing concern on the water quality.

Pharmaceuticals in water not only have an effect on humans but can also have a significant impact on the wildlife present at the source. A study carried out by a freshwater scientist Rebecca Klaper in Lake Michigan found the presence of the drug metformin three miles

Another problem that is being put on the table is if the antibiotics are leaving the systems of the animal, where are they going? The medicine is going through the body and out into the feces, which can contaminate water or

In agriculture however, antibiotics are not directly administered to plants. Rather, the manure from livestock treated with antibiotics (which could also contain antibiotic resistant bacteria) is used to fertilize crops. This facilitates the widespread long distance travel of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Through this process, an isolated population of resistant bacteria from a single farm has the potential to spread across the country and potentially world, which could have a drastically negative effect on animals and humans alike.

As the soil becomes more and more polluted with these toxins, it becomes unsustainable. Therefore, land that would have remained fertile for centuries through the commonsense farming of our ancestors, is being ruined by farming controlled by big corporations whose sole interest is in immediate short term profit (Goodall 38). Industrialized livestock farming with thousands of animals crammed into small factory spaces is responsible for numerous bacterial and viral infections such as E.coli., Avian bird flu, Mad cow disease, Salmonella, and many more. Therefore, conventional farmers use antibiotics to keep these animals alive. This over use of antibiotics is causing the creation of new, resistant strains of deadly diseases that kill people and animals. Disease is actually caused by the bad practices, shortcuts, and antibiotic resistance. This has the opposite effect of what was intended and also costs farmers millions of dollars every year instead of saving money. Unfortunately, conventional agriculture experts recommend these monocultural farming practices in the name of quick, mass production.

Although the state of America’s water infrastructure is of great concern, the types of chemicals found in America’s tap water are equally as frightening. The passage of the Water Act in 1972 prevents the direct dumping of hazardous chemicals directly into waterways, and helps regulate quality standards of water. However, the Clean Water Act is has no jurisdiction on regulating indirect dumping of chemicals that integrates into water supplies. Pesticides and prescription drugs are the greatest cause for concern of indirect containments in America’s water supply (Olsen). An abundance of the harmful chemicals found in liquefied animals feces, used in large dairy states, have percolated into drinking wells that have caused serious infections (Duhigg). However, more harmful containments are infiltrating water supplies. Such containments include