Antibiotic use on farms across East Africa is creating a growing public health problem. In Uganda and neighbouring countries, many smallholders treat signs of illness quickly with antibiotics because veterinary care is limited and costly. Farmers use drugs for prevention, treatment and growth promotion, and they sometimes give lower doses or cheaper versions.
Health professionals say these practices, together with weak regulation and scarce veterinary services, are driving antimicrobial resistance in livestock, crops, ecosystems and people. Doctors report that some common drugs no longer work well for patients, and studies in the region show high resistance levels in pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella.
Experts recommend multisector action: stronger oversight of veterinary drugs, better laboratory and surveillance capacity, community education, enforced prescription rules and policies to change farming behaviour.
Difficult words
- antibiotic — drug that kills or stops bacteria growth
- smallholder — a small farm owner with limited landsmallholders
- veterinary — relating to animal medical care and treatment
- prevention — action to stop disease or problems before they start
- antimicrobial resistance — when drugs no longer kill microbes or work
- pathogen — a microbe that causes disease in people or animalspathogens
- surveillance — regular monitoring and testing to find health problems
- prescription — a doctor's written order for specific medicine
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What changes could local communities make to reduce antibiotic misuse on farms?
- How might better veterinary services help both farmers and public health?
- Would you support rules that require prescriptions for animal antibiotics? Why or why not?
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