Tell Congress: Keep Antibiotics Working

Resistance to antibiotics is a growing public health crisis, afflicting hospital patients and seemingly healthy individuals alike. Doctors caution that these vital drugs should only be used when absolutely necessary, because resistance emerges when bacteria are constantly exposed to antibiotics. Yet roughly 70 percent of antibiotics used in the United States are added to the feed of livestock and poultry that are not sick. This reckless practice encourages the development of antibiotic-resistant diseases—such as food poisoning and post-operative blood infections—that affect humans.

Dear Member of Congress,

I am writing to urge you to cosponsor the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (H.R. 1549, S. 619).

Roughly 70 percent of antibiotics used in the United States each year are used in CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations), added to the feed of animals that are not sick. A mounting body of scientific evidence links this practice to the rise in antibiotic-resistant diseases in humans, including those caused by Salmonella, Campylobacter, and MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Antibiotic resistance means that patients suffer longer illnesses and pay higher medical costs, and doctors are left with a dwindling arsenal of drugs to fight disease. In addition, by misusing antibiotics, CAFOs are squandering these drugs—once hailed as a medical miracle—for use by future generations.

I urge you to keep antibiotics working by supporting the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act

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