ON NOV 7, the World Health Organization issued formal guidelines for the animal industries, which calls for food-animal producers to refrain from using antibiotics in healthy animals, so as to curb the rampancy of drug-resistant bacteria. Thepaper.cn comments:

The overuse of antibiotics in livestock contributes significantly to the spread of drug-resistant bacteria.

Livestock antibiotics are routinely given to healthy animals and the volume of antibiotics used in animals is continuing to increase due to the growing demand for animal products worldwide. If no action is taken to restrict and reduce the use of antibiotics in food animals, by 2050, according to WHO, almost all current antibiotics will be ineffective in preventing and treating human diseases.