this post was submitted on 16 Nov 2023

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Commentary: We face a world potentially running out of antibiotics (www.channelnewsasia.com)

submitted 1 year ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/news@beehaw.org

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[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 58 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This has been known and warned for probably decades now.

But still we continue to "preemptively" use it in vast quantities in the meat, milk and egg industry instead of using sustainable or even humane conditions for the animals in question.

Guess who gets to eat antibiotics evey day, increasing likelihood of multi resistant germs?

Meat eaters. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8565197/

Nothing will be done about it until its too late. As is tradition. Profits are more important than world wide disaster. Again.

[–] Hirom@beehaw.org 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Multiple countries need to fix their inadequate regulations to stop aggravating antibiotics resistance, including:

India where there is "Inappropriate use of antibiotics [..] Largely unrestricted over-the-counter sales"
China as you mentioned, need to continue efforts to reduce antibiotics (mis)use.
European countries are collectively the world's biggest importer of food, including farmed animals periodically dosed with antibiotics. A 2022 ban on routine antibiotic use should hopefully avoid worst abuses on antibiotics, including for imports.

[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I was also shocked to learn the US have over the counter antiobiotics that people pop for random illness and minor cuts/scrapes. Pretty much unthinkable here (EUN)

[–] bingbong@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We absolutely do not have over-the-counter antibiotics, they need a prescription every time

[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Besides the topicals OTC that i outlined in here, US friends of mine "keep" their remaining prescription ABs for when they are sick again.

Like he got prescribed some for a COLD and then kept them to pop when he gets the next COLD :'D

Its nuts. Some OTC, others simply overprescribed.

Here you get a prescription if you have a severe infection, OR a substantial injury with high risk.

[–] bingbong@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Wait, I'm assuming you're from somewhere in Europe, you don't have topical antibiotics available without prescription?!

I wouldn't argue against antibiotics being overprescribed in America, they definitely are. The tendency is for medicine to be prescribed if a patient sees a doctor. Another crappy consequence of an expensive medical system, people won't be satisfied if they spent hundreds of dollars only to be told to rest and drink lots of fluids.

US friends of mine "keep" their remaining prescription ABs for when they are sick again

This is definitely a thing that morons do over here 😂

[–] millie@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We definitely don't have that at all.

[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yes, some topical AB are available according to a quick online search

Some topical antibiotics can be purchased as over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.
However, it is always recommended that you consult a medical expert before purchasing and using any medication.
Topical antibiotics are used to treat skin wounds, scrapes, scratches, and minor burns.
They are available in ointment, cream, spray, or powder forms and are used to prevent infection in topical skin ailments.
Some over-the-counter topical antibiotics include: Bacitracin (Neosporin)
Polymyxin (Polysporin)
Neomycin (Neosporin Plus Pain Relief)
Pramoxine
Benzoyl peroxide (Proactiv)

[–] millie@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There's a huge difference between saying 'antibiotics are available OTC' and 'topical antibiotics are available OTC'. One is misleading clickbait nonsense, the other is true.

[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago

Thats why i didnt write what you claim i did.

"they have over the counter antiobiotics"

As in antibiotics exist there that are OTC.

Is that so absurd?

[–] Swallowtail@beehaw.org 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Go vegan. It's better for the planet too.

[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 5 points 1 year ago

I know, i am vegan for those reasons and more :)

[–] commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

being vegan doesn't help the planet at all.

[–] amzd@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

How does reducing land and water use through your food choice not help the planet?

[–] commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

it doesn't actually reduce the use.

[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Please don't tell me you're gonna bring up the stupid soy fields in the rain forest argument :'D

[–] commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 year ago (20 children)

being vegan doesn't stop soy from being grown in rainforests

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[–] commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

environmental destruction continues whether you are vegan or not.

[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago

also what part of my comment prompted you to post that random response?

[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago (14 children)

yep due to the meat industry keeping going regardless of a fairly small demographic quitting their products

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[–] SinAdjetivos@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You are making the false assumption that your consumption is causative to the production of animal products which is, unfortunately and non-intuituvely, untrue. The only difference between vegan and non-vegan diets is whether animal products end up on your plate vs. in "cheese mountain" type stockpiles, exports, landfills, etc.

That being said, 'commie' is a terrible communicator if that's what they're trying to say. Going vegan does help to highlight some of the contradictions of capitalism and you're on the right track as it should be advocated for. However, the 'invisible hand of the free market' does not translate veganism to any reduction in farmed animals, land or water use.

[–] amzd@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

“If you don’t buy it a company will throw it away instead” is not a very good argument to buy something if you even believe it to be true at all.

[–] SinAdjetivos@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

That's not what I'm saying, I'm saying the act of "not buying it" (even if it was a complete and total boycott) has no impact on the production due to the system of subsidies, futures, derivatives, etc. that is set up explicitly to make sure production continues. And therefore has no impact on land/water usage, suffering etc.

With the point being that it's a good first step, but if your expectation is it will change anything without first changing the underlying system you will be very disappointed.

[–] amzd@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Your argument is called the nirvana fallacy;

“World peace would be ideal; this peace treaty fails to completely achieve world peace; therefore this peace treaty is not worth doing.”

And I do not accept that.

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[–] rautapekoni@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Surely the societal pressure to change the systems that support factory farming of animals will grow pretty much in proportion with the vegan/vegetarian population? I don't like the defeatist attitude that our choises as consumers don't matter, at all.

[–] SinAdjetivos@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's not defeatist, it's pushing back against the wishful thinking that "voting with your dollar" is effective and your responsibility ends there.

[–] shapesandstuff@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago

I mean if they make substantially less money with product x they scale back production. Just like with any other product.

Really not that complicated. Obviously they're not tracking my personal consumption, nobody believes that.

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[–] java@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Proof?

[–] fuzzywolf23@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (4 children)

It takes less land and water to feed someone wheat, soy or corn than to feed them beef, chicken or pork.

[–] commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

what crops that are fed to beef chicken and pork are parts of plants that people won't eat for the most part. The same fields that grow the soybeans we use for oil are growing soybeans that are used as feed. The same soybeans that are used for oil are used for feed.

[–] fuzzywolf23@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This is sometimes true. However, e.g., about 4% of the farmland in California is used for alfafa, which is just for livestock. Alfafa is also a very water intensive crop.

Additionally, there are other uses that livestock corn feed could be put to if there weren't so many damn cows, so it's not like we'd be throwing away megatons of silage if it weren't for cattle.

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[+] Colorcodedresistor@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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[–] BumbleBeeBleep@startrek.website 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"Running out" is a bit of a weird title here, it doesn't mean that some deposit is running dry. There are more and more bacteria getting resistant for more and more types of antibiotics, making them no longer effective. Even a bottomless supply of antibiotics is useless if it doesn't actually kill the things it's supposed to kill.

I suppose the "running out" part would mean that there are only so many types of antibiotics, if none of them are effective anymore (or not enough of them are effective enough) we would be in some deep shit.

(being in deep shit may cause a severe risk of bacterial infection, I highly recommend not being in such a situation)

[–] HurlingDurling@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So this has been reported for years now. We aren't running out of antibiotics. We are running out of options like you said. The real reason is that doctors would prescribe stronger antibiotics than were needed. Also, people would stop taking the full course because they felt better before then, and lastly, farms give antibiotics to their animals just in case, so any bacteria that would survive any of these is allowed to reproduce and become resistant to antibiotics.

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