Antibiotic Legislation Falls Short in Maryland
Op-ed published on legislation pertaining to the use of prophylactic antibiotics in livestock, co-authored by MacArthur "Genius" Fellow Dr. Ellen Silbergeld. Antibiotic Legislation Falls Short in Maryland On October 1, 2017 a number of health-related bills in Maryland came into effect that have unfortunately fallen short of where we need to be. The Keep Antibiotics Effective Act of 2017 has taken a step in the right direction by attempting to limit the prophylactic use of antibiotics in livestock, fish, and poultry so as to arrest the spread of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria and to thereby prolong the efficacy of our antibiotic drugs. Unfortunately this bill does not require confirmation of an actual disease in a herd or flock in order for the animals to be treated with antibiotics and it will therefore be ineffective at addressing the legislative intent behind this statute. The legislation is to be commended for prohibiting the use of antibiotics...