UN cannot handle drug-resistant microbes’ issues without China

Beijing. April 10. Silkroadnews - China is playing a vital part in tackling the global scourge of antimicrobial resistance, the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of drugs previously used to treat them, China Daily reported citing Daniel Gustafson, deputy director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
“Antimicrobial resistance is a very big global problem and one that the FAO takes very seriously. There’s no way that we can handle AMR without China’s strong participation, because of the size of its population and the volume of poultry and pigs it produces,” the agency quoted him saying.
Also, China plays an indispensable role in the search for solutions to such problems as controlling avian flu, he noted.
Gustafson said that FAO would like to have more exchanges with China, including inviting more scientists, trainees and volunteers from China, as well as additional Chinese employees to FAO headquarters and its regional offices.
China is the world’s largest consumer of antibiotics, which are mainly used in medical treatment, as well as in poultry and livestock raising.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has intensified supervision over the use of drugs, including phasing out antibiotics that have health risks and hormones that promote the growth of animals, the report reads.