The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, has issued advisories regarding judicious use of antibiotics in food producing animals, according to a statement by the Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying during the recently concluded winter session of the parliament. The department has also issued advisories to the poultry farmers for improving bio-security in poultry farms. According to the Central Drugs Standards Control Organization (CDSCO), import, manufacture, sale, distribution of drugs including antibiotics are regulated under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules.
As per law, antibiotics are required to be sold by retail only under prescription of a Registered Veterinary Practitioner. Further, in order to regulate the sale of antibiotics, the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945 has been amended suitably and it is now mandatory that the container of the medicine for treatment of food producing animals requires to be labelled with the withdrawal period of the drug for the species on which it is intended to be used. On the recommendations of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Colistin and its formulations have been prohibited vide Gazette notification no. S.O. 2607(E) dated 19 July 2019 to be manufactured, sold and distributed for food producing animals, poultry, aqua farming and animal feed supplement. There is a need for awareness as well as action in this front.
Large-scale misuse and overuse of antibiotics in chicken is leading to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the chicken itself. These bacteria are then transmitted to humans through food or environment. Additionally, eating small doses of antibiotics through chicken can also lead to development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans.
According to a study, there is indiscriminate use of antibiotics on the chicken leading to high incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
As per the researchers, nearly two-thirds of the poultry and egg farms are using antibiotics to boost growth.
The indiscriminate and extensive use of antimicrobials in animal feed poses a significant threat to human health, the study found and underlined that there are several direct and indirect pathways of human exposure to these resistant bacteria.
In such a scenario, there is a need for stringent actions. The administration must keep a continuous watch. As has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotics that are critical for human use should not be used in animals and there is a need to put in place a comprehensive approach to tackle the problem.