- Signatures: 22,076
- Goal: 20,000
- Deadline: 6-21-2006
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The Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act (S. 2508) will phase out the routine feeding of medically important antibiotics to healthy livestock and poultry. The poultry and livestock industries have been major culprits in the overuse of antibiotics. The misuse of antibiotics is leading to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are causing increasing numbers of serious, difficult-to-treat illnesses in humans.
Healthy farm animals are routinely fed antibiotics to promote growth and compensate for unsanitary conditions, particularly at crowded factory farms. This "nontherapeutic" use of antibiotics in healthy pigs, poultry, and beef cattle constitutes an estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States.
S. 2508 will phase-out the nontherapeutic use of eight types of antibiotics in animal agriculture that are also used in human medicine, or are so closely related to human use drugs that they trigger cross-resistance. By targeting the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics, the bill properly allows sick animals to receive necessary treatment.
The act also bans the use in poultry of Cipro-like drugs called fluoroquinolones. In October 2000, the FDA proposed to ban poultry fluoroquinolones because their use undercuts the effectiveness of Cipro and related drugs in treating certain forms of severe food poisoning in humans.
The American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the World Health Organization and other leading health organizations are on record opposing both the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics in animal agriculture.
Add your voice and press for fast action on this vital legislation. Send a letter now to your Senator and ask him or her to stand for public health and safety by cosponsoring and supporting S. 2508, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act.
| Number | Date | Prefix | Name | State | We need to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics because | I am a parent (yes/no) What are your concerns as a parent? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22,082 | 6:57 am PST, Dec 26 | Ms. | Katherine Ford | Mississippi | Natural Medicines should be used to treat illness instead of man made drugs that just make us sicker. | |
| 22,081 | 8:51 am PST, Dec 17 | Mr. | curtis fortin | Wyoming | for help | |
| 22,080 | 6:23 pm PST, Dec 5 | Debbie J Pruiett | Georgia | to make sure there gonna work | ||
| 22,079 | 12:58 pm PST, Nov 17 | Jim Rucker | Maryland | to help mankind eradicate diseases and make this planet healthier and improve the quality of life. | ||
| 22,078 | 1:42 pm PDT, Oct 7 | Tunde Welker | if antibiotics aren't effective anymore against sicknesses anymore, what is? | |||
| 22,077 | 5:49 am PDT, Sep 17 | Mr. | Jason Bowman | California | because of the danger of epidemics | |
| 22,076 | 8:19 am PDT, Sep 11 | Audrey Mealiff | we need to ensure they work for those who really need them. | |||
| 22,075 | 6:27 am PDT, Aug 27 | Brent Legaree | Armed Forces Americas | it's important | ||
| 22,074 | 9:26 pm PDT, Aug 10 | Evelyn Peoples Jordan | Florida | it is necessary! | The health of my child and grandchildren. | |
| 22,073 | 9:10 am PDT, Jul 10 | Kimberly Fleck | Connecticut | they undercut the effectiveness of certain drugs not to mention farm factories are horrific places for animal and human alike. | I am not a parent but as an aunt and as an educator I am concerned for the future of our youth in terms of health and environment not to mention animal welfare. | |
| 22,072 | 8:40 am PDT, Jun 14 | Sandi Teale | they save human lives and are becoming too prevalent and overused in the food chain | I'm concerned that we do not know the implications on our diet.My child and grandchildren deserve better | ||
| 22,071 | 10:52 am PDT, May 23 | Ms. | Joyi Kraus | Texas | clearly if we don't there will come a time when we need an effective antibiotic and we will have already become resistant to what is available. | As a parent with a healthy child, my concern is that one day she will be hurt or fall ill and the doctor will look at me and only be able to say... sorry, we have nothing left that will treat your daughter. |
| 22,070 | 3:03 pm PDT, May 17 | Mark Smith | Texas | We promote and sell Pro Biotic (PB) products. Beneficial Microbes or PB benefit human and animal alike. Promoting healthy products like our can make a difference and a heathy choice better. | I'm a Uncle and friend of many who have children. It's past due, so take action and seek information on www.saranature.com contact us. | |
| 22,069 | 12:57 pm PDT, May 15 | Anonymous | Arizona | we are playing a game of chance if we build up resistance to one of the greatest ways to fight many diseases and illnesses. Medical antibotics should, obviously, be used in medical situations only. | I do not want my children dying from a resistant strain of bacteria because they ate a bigger chicken breast. I am also against the unnecessary preseription of antibotics and the improper use of them. | |
| 22,068 | 9:19 pm PDT, May 14 | Vivian Collins | South Carolina | If we feed antibotic to chicken and cows that makes it when eaten we get sick it makes us have to take stronger medication. That is sure not good for us. | ||
| 22,067 | 7:35 pm PDT, Apr 23 | Mr. | Gonzalo Hurtado | It's the whole point of medicine, making sure it works. | ||
| 22,066 | 2:37 pm PDT, Apr 22 | David Afonso | . | |||
| 22,065 | 3:39 pm PDT, Apr 15 | Mr. | David R | Massachusetts | . | |
| 22,064 | 8:36 pm PDT, Apr 13 | Victoria Thomas | Wyoming | WE WILL NEED THEM | ||
| 22,063 | 3:22 pm PDT, Apr 12 | Marcel Sneddon | Washington | Raise healthy happy chickens and they won't need so much. Let them like chickens natural. | I WANT ANTIBIOTICS TO WORK ON PEOPLE - NOT TO MASK BAD FOOD | |
| 22,062 | 7:23 am PDT, Apr 11 | Anonymous | Oklahoma | more and more people are becoming ill due to this issue of use of antibiotics. our food is not natural anymore and the health of this country is going down the tubes largely because of this use! | ||
| 22,061 | 1:39 pm PDT, Mar 27 | Melissa Bardwell | Washington | if we keep using them they wont work anymore | ||
| 22,060 | 11:45 am PDT, Mar 27 | Anonymous | Texas | being careless with anitiotics is not an intelligent decision | no | |
| 22,059 | 9:49 pm PDT, Mar 21 | BobbyKat LittleCub | Illinois | We are becoming immune. | ||
| 22,058 | 5:38 am PDT, Mar 15 | Shari Patterson | Utah | Quick fixes = quick decline in health. All across the board. The overuse of antibiotics in humans is bad enough, why weaken the food chain & set up a scenario for a real pandemic? | ||
| 22,057 | 7:28 pm PST, Mar 8 | Jennifer Rogers | New Hampshire | People need to not get sick. How long does it take to grow a chicken? Not as long as it takes to grow a person!! It's very rude to be deliberatly undermining the health of every american like this, all sneaky, behind our backs, stab us at the supper table thanks alot. | ||
| 22,056 | 9:52 pm PST, Mar 3 | Karenlee Elliott | California | they lose potency and effectivness if reproduced and reproduced | no | |
| 22,055 | 2:00 pm PST, Feb 24 | Mr. | Louis W Moreland | Florida | they are not limitless AND are expensive to replace. | no |
| 22,054 | 12:07 pm PST, Feb 24 | Michelle Duzan | They have long been misused and as a result we are now starting to see the devastating effects such as deadly diseases and stubborn illnesses. It will only get worse if something isn't done now. | As a parent I am extremely concerned that my children will see the devastating effects of antiobotic misuse and that they will be prone to a whole new generation of illness and antio-biotic resistant bacteria that will have devastating results. | ||
| 22,053 | 5:36 am PST, Feb 24 | Ray Orville | Kentucky | people want take them right | no | |
| 22,052 | 10:21 pm PST, Feb 21 | R R | Washington | Please stop the misuse of antibiotics. | ||
| 22,051 | 6:40 am PST, Feb 19 | Mr. | Jeremy Spohn | Pennsylvania | the future of food, and mankind, depends on it. | No. |
Prevent the Misuse of Antibiotics
I strongly urge you to take a stand for public health by cosponsoring S. 2508, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act.
S. 2508 will phase out the routine feeding of medically important antibiotics to healthy livestock and poultry. Today, an estimated 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States are fed to healthy pigs, poultry, and beef cattle to promote growth and to compensate for crowded, unsanitary conditions in intensive livestock operations.
In addition, the bill will phase out the use of Cipro-like drugs (called fluoroquinolones) in treating sick poultry. The Food and Drug Administration proposed such a ban in October 2000 because the use undercuts the effectiveness of fluoroquinolones in treating certain types of severe food poisoning in humans.
Such phase-outs are clearly feasible. Indeed top poultry companies including Perdue and Foster Farms have told the New York Times that they are not using medically important antibiotics for nontherapeutic purposes. And Perdue recently announced, "it will no longer use fluoroquinolone antibiotics to treat any of its chicken or turkey flocks."
The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria threatens all Americans, but especially the most vulnerable - the very young, the very old, and those with already weakened immune systems, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and those with certain other medical conditions. Antibiotic resistance already costs the health-care system billions of dollars each year -- a figure that will only increase as resistance continues to worsen.
The American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the World Health Organization and other leading health organizations are on record opposing both the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics in animal agriculture and the therapeutic use of fluoroquinolones in poultry.
I urge you to announce your support for S. 2508, add your name as a cosponsor, and press for quick action on this important legislation.
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