A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association recently reported that doctors wrote in a single year 12 million antibiotic prescriptions for colds, bronchitis and other respiratory infections. But the study noted more than 90 percent of such infections are caused by viruses impervious to antibiotics. Another recent study concluded as many as half of all antibiotic prescriptions are not needed. Development of bacterial resistance isn t unexpected and, most importantly, isn t a crisis. We re lucky resistance is developing so slowly.
Researchers have plenty of time to develop new antibiotics.
It s a problem that needs attention. Government and industry research is ongoing. Hysteria is unwarranted. UCS advocates sustainable or holistic agriculture euphemisms for agriculture without labor-saving machinery, biotechnology, fertilizers and pesticides. Ever the extremists, the UCS even claims the energy used to refrigerate and transport the products of so-called industrial agriculture contributes to alleged global warming.