Antimicrobial Resistance In Indian Poultry: Cause, Concern, And Measure

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Antimicrobial Resistance In Indian Poultry
Cause, Concern, And Measure
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Gone are the days when poultry farming was a
simple backyard activity. Over the last few
decades, poultry farming has become a
full-fledged business where birds are bred with
the intent to sell them in the market. Modern
practices have taken over traditional once and
most poultry farms give antibiotics to poultry
these days. This is to ensure that the flock is
healthy and the loss of poultry is significantly
reduced. This not only protects the poultry from
diseases that would otherwise easily infect them
but also helps the poultry farming business with
less loss of birds and more profit in the market.
However, there is one term that we constantly
keep hearing these days antimicrobial
resistance or AMR. What is it exactly?
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In laymans terms, antimicrobial resistance is
the ability of microorganisms like bacteria,
fungi, viruses, etc to invalidate the effect of
antimicrobial drugs, which results in the drugs
becoming ineffective. This usually happens when
the intake of antibiotics is more than what it
needs to be. The problem with the use of
antibiotics in Indian poultry is that they are
often used as growth promoters. When the poultry
is fed antibiotics and we then consume the meat
from the said poultry, there is a chance the AMR
could be transmitted to us. This is a major
concern that is often overlooked. If not looked
into, it could result in a world where
antibiotics will become ineffective for humans,
resulting in an increase in diseases and death.
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There are no laws against the use of antibiotics
and vaccination for chicken as of now. But as a
concerned human being, it is wise to incorporate
a systematic approach when it comes to
administering antibiotics poultry. And honestly
speaking, excess intake of antibiotics is bad for
the poultry as well. It is important to generate
awareness about this subject. By being vigilant
about this issue, not only are we protecting the
humans from antimicrobial resistance, but also
keeping the birds safe. After all, they need to
be treated with care and affection too.
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Thank You..