A little is better than nothing, but a scant FDA action on an urgent health crisis adds up to almost less than nothing

Here’s a very encouraging headline from a recent New Scientist article…

“FDA bans some — but not all — farmyard antibiotics”

But when I read the article I had to ask, “Really, New Scientist? You’re kidding, right?”

In fact, the FDA has put “severe restrictions” on the use of cephalosporin antibiotics in farm animals. But this class of antibiotics accounts for only 0.2 percent of antibiotic use on farms.

Nice work, FDA! After spending three decades analyzing the significant role of farmyard antibiotics in the human antibiotic resistance crisis, you only have 99.8 percent of the job left to do.

Sources:
“FDA bans some — but not all — farmyard antibiotics” New Scientist, 1/17/12, newscientist.com