Let’s all fight antibiotic resistance

Drugs that were traditionally effective in treating common bacterial diseases are slowly losing this power.  PHOTO: COURTESY

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has dedicated this week to awareness creation on antibiotic resistance.

Drugs that were traditionally effective in treating common bacterial diseases are slowly losing this power.

This state of affairs has been blamed partly on-farm use of antibiotics to treat animal diseases. Farmers have abused antibiotics through under or over dosing, use of wrong routes of administration and not observing required withdrawal periods during with the animal product isn’t supposed to be consumed.

By the way did you know the active chemical compounds that constitute drugs used in vet medicine are the same ones used in human medicine? Only the dosage differs.

Therefore, consequences of such drugs misuse in the vet world can easily spill over into human medicines.

A farmer has a role in ensuring proper use of antibiotics to maintain their potency in the future. How can you do this? As a farmer, only use antibiotics prescribed by your vet.

Don’t buy and administer drugs on your own, a vet will ensure that the right dose and right route is used to administer the drug and for the right duration.

Obtain drugs from only authorised agrovets, avoid buying animal drugs from hawkers and open markets. Observe biosecurity measures to ensure animals are healthy. Lastly keep good records of antibiotics you have used on your animals.