Antibiotics Will Save You, Right? Well Maybe Not

By:


One of the reasons Americans like having a health plan is the ability to see a doctor and get a prescription for antibiotics if they are feeling under the weather. Any parent can probably remember the large amounts of pink amoxicillin they gave to their babies when they had an ear infection. We have also learned that bacteria-killing drugs are only to be used if we truly have an infection and not because we have a cold. The main reason for this is because if we take antibiotics when we do not need them, we could become resistant to the drugs and they would not work when needed.

Well, it seems as though we have a new problem. Not with humans, however, but more with our farms and how we feed and raise the animals on the farm. Apparently our beef and poultry are being raised on farms in crowded and unsanitary conditions which have led to the farmers giving antibiotics when there is no disease being treated. The Department of Health and Human Services, on April 15, 2011 has reported Meat and poultry sold in the United States is widely contaminated with drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus Aureus, which is a form of bacteria that can cause serious illnesses in humans.

The types of health problems linked to S. Aureus range from mild skin infections to life threatening diseases, such as pneumonia, sepsis and heart infection. In the new nationwide study, researchers took 136 samples from 80 brands of beef, chicken, pork and turkey purchased at 26 retail stores in five cities: Chicago, Flagstaff, AZ, Fort Lauderdale, FL.; Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Lance B. Price, director of TGens Center for Food Microbiology and Environmental Health goes on to say Antibiotics are the most important drugs that we have to treat Staph infections; but when Staph are resistant to three, four, five or even nine different antibiotics- like we saw in this study- that leaves physicians few options. A group representing the U.S. meat industry disagreed with the findings. They said the sample size was too small to reach the conclusions of the researchers. They also noted that the bacteria would be destroyed through normal cooking because the bacteria are not heat resistant. FYI the symptoms for Sepsis can be fever, chills, shaking, fast heart beat, confusion and maybe a skin rash.

About the Author:
Insurance Medics is a national online insurance agency offering a vast array of insurance products from many different insurers with affordable Health Premiums. To find a Health insurance broker or for more information on Health Insurance Plans, visit http://www.healthinsurancemedics.com/



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags: , ,

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent Insurance Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.