Antibiotics still used to boost animal growth, says OIE
In OIE's global analysis from 2015 to 2017 a record of 155 countries participated. The report shows that the reported use of antimicrobials for growth promotion has declined from 60 to 45 countries since the last round of data collection.
However, key antimicrobials, classified by the WHO as ‘Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials’, including colistin, continue to be used routinely in several regions for this purpose. "This practice puts at risk many of the medicines that we take for granted today, for both animals and humans," OIE said in a statement.
OIE added that the development of a robust regulatory framework is a key component to protect and ensure responsible and prudent use of antimicrobial agents in animal health and production.
"It is also a powerful instrument to phasing out their use as growth promoters, while recognising that voluntary approaches can be effective in certain countries. The report shows positive progress, while 72 countries do not have a regulatory framework on the use of growth promotors, it is a decrease from the first database report in which 110 countries lacked such a framework. This decline suggests critical progress in the implementation of regulations on the use of antimicrobial agents."
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