STOP Foodborne Illness Seeks Advocates to Speak Out Against Non-Therapeutic Use of Antibiotics

Dec. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- Doctors and other health experts have warned for years about the overuse of antibiotics to treat illness, which contributes to the rise of “super bugs” resistant to the healing effects of these drugs. The common practice of administering antibiotics to healthy animals to counteract the impacts of overcrowded and unsanitary conditions on industrial farms creates the perfect breeding ground for these antibiotic-resistant bacteria. STOP Foodborne Illness, a national nonprofit public health organization dedicated to the prevention of illness and death from foodborne pathogens, is looking for people who have been adversely affected by an antibiotic-resistant foodborne illness or know of a relative or friend who has felt its impact to tell their stories.

People can register to be an advocate by going to http://stopfoodborneillness.org and clicking “Become an Antibiotic Resistance Advocate” at the top of the page or share their story directly by filling out the form here: http://www.keepantibioticsworking.com/new/experience.php.

“In STOP’s nearly two decades of working with foodborne illness victims, we’ve helped improve national food safety, often times through the dedication, efforts and voices of our outspoken volunteer food safety advocates,” said Deirdre Schlunegger, CEO of STOP Foodborne Illness. “We are now embarking on a new branch of our mission, which is to not only reduce the likelihood of ingesting life-threatening pathogens, but also to ensure that if people do become ill from contaminated foods, there will still be viable medical treatment options available. No person should have to fear that they could die because an antibiotic won’t work, but that’s what’s happening when ‘super bugs’ are created due to the overuse and misuse of the drugs at the production stage. The results can be a simple infection turning into something much worse, including death.”

STOP is creating a community for those impacted by or with an interest in fighting antibiotic-resistant foodborne illness from meat, dairy, eggs or a farm. Together with STOP, these advocates can affect change.  

“STOP will help these people voice their concern to legislators, who often see statistics about this issue but rarely hear of people’s actual struggles,” continued Schlunegger. “Together, we can bring faces to this problem, create change to federal law and policies, and bring an end to the practice of feeding antibiotics to healthy animals.”

More information on this issue can be found on the STOP Foodborne Illness website at http://www.stopfoodborneillness.org
To become an advocate in the fight against the misuse of antibiotics in animals, sign up directly here: https://stopfoodborneillness.thankyou4caring.org/sslpage....
To submit your foodborne illness story, fill out the form here:
http://www.keepantibioticsworking.com/new/experience.php
To speak with a STOP representative about this issue, call the organization’s hotline number at 1-800-350-STOP (7867).