Survey Reveals Consumer Confusion Around Antibiotic Resistance

Survey Reveals Consumer Confusion Around Antibiotic Resistance

A new survey reveals that consumers are confused about the causes of antibiotic resistance and the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry production. The online survey was conducted with more than 2,100 U.S. adults ages 18 and older by Harris Poll.

When asked “According to the Centers for Disease Control, which of the following is the greatest contributing factor to human antibiotic resistance,” only four in ten Americans (41 percent) correctly answered “health professionals over-prescribing to people.” Eighteen percent thought use of antibiotics in livestock production was the number one contributing factor.
Field reporter Greg Martin has more?Martin: “During press conference last fall, CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD, said, “Right now, the most acute problem is in hospitals. And the most resistant organisms in hospitals are emerging in those settings because of poor antimicrobial stewardship among humans.” In fact, he said that half of all antibiotic prescriptions given to humans are unnecessary. CDC also said that it is important to use good stewardship in administering antibiotics during livestock and poultry production and that antibiotic use for animal growth promotion should be phased out, an effort that is already under way at the request of the Food and Drug Administration.”
Survey data also reflect confusion around the issue of antibiotic residues. Four in ten consumers (39 percent) think that unsafe levels of antibiotics are commonly present in the meat and poultry products found at the grocery store, though government data show that violative antibiotic residues in meat and poultry are virtually non-existent. In 2011, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service screened meat and poultry for 128 chemicals, and 99 percent of the tested carcasses were free of all of them.

 

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