| PAT DIALEvery year on March 15, World Consumer Rights Day is commemorated worldwide as a celebration and to strengthen solidarity within the International Consumer Movement. It is an occasion which comes under the auspices of Consumer International (CI), the largest Consumer Federation in the world and of which most countries are either members or affiliates.The Guyana Consumers Association under the leadership of the late revered,Cheap NFL Jerseys Supply, Eileen Cox,China Jerseys Online, became one of the earlier members of CI much over half-a-century ago and the Association has always maintained its membership participating in all CI activities including the International Congresses.Each year consumer organizations mark World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) by highlighting an issue which is of importance to consumers worldwide. For example, one year our theme was “Cell Phones” or another year it focused on the very high “exploitative charges made by money-transfer companies” on remittances to Third World countries.The highlighting of these issues helps to make consumers more aware of their rights and generally results in some improvements. The Theme this year, 2016 is “ANTIBIOTICS OFF THE MENU”.The aim of this theme is to curb the widespread over-consumption of antibiotics in human medicine and the use of antibiotics in Agriculture to promote faster growth of livestock rather than as a veterinary treatment. Indeed, about 50% of the world’s antibiotics is used in Agriculture, most of it to promote rapid growth and artificially quick fattening of chicken and other farm animals.Many people are aware of the dangers of over-consumption of antibiotics in human medicine but few are aware that all the meats they consume at fast food outlets, as for example chicken,NFL Jerseys Supply, have been artificially grown and fattened by antibiotics and that when they eat such meats they are ingesting dangerous amounts of antibiotics resulting in their unwittingly developing resistance to antibiotics used medically.What is antibiotic resistance? It simply means that bacteria become resistant to the use of antibiotics. When antibiotics cannot act, simple infections such as strep throat, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, tuberculosis and gonorrhea become more difficult and sometimes impossible to treat.And routine surgical operations such as caesarians and hip replacements become deadly. Appendicitis operations which once used to be deadly became routine with the advent of modern antibiotics. With antibiotic resistance, such surgery could again become deadly.If urgent action is not taken, we could be heading for a post-antibiotic era in which important medicines become ineffective and stop working. It is one of the biggest public health crises the world is beginning to face.In the Developed World, this crisis is being dealt with in three ways: Firstly, there is, as in the European Union, a complete ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters for livestock. Denmark has gone furthest in protective measures and is held up as the example of good national policy. In the United States, however,Johnny Bench Reds Jersey, it is still permitted to use antibiotics as growth promoters.The second approach is to secure the involvement of Business.The three biggest international Fast Food Chains are Subway with 44,Cheap Football Jerseys China,500 restaurants in 111 countries, McDonald’s with 35,000 restaurants in 119 countries and KFC with 18,Jeff Keppinger White Sox Jersey,000 outlets in 115 countries. Consumer advocates and CI have been pressuring these Chains to get on board and some progress has been made.In March last year, McDonald’s announced that chicken served in its United States outlets would be free from antibiotics within two years. In October last year, also, Subway announced that across the United States, it would be serving chicken raised without antibiotics. A complete transition would happen within two to three years.In Guyana, the biggest Fast Food Chains are Banks DIH and Royal Castle and they are being now asked to get on board. A great part of the meats used in the restaurant business is imported and the restaurants themselves and other importers as well as Government must ensure that meat imports are not antibiotic raised.The third way is for NGO’s, the media and Governmental authorities, to educate the public on the issue and also to cooperate with each other in public education and information.The Ministry of Business and its Consumer Division led by Ms Cheryl Tinnis have worked out an interesting programe for WCRD and the Guyana Consumers Association would be giving them full cooperation and support. The campaign promises to be effective and successful.The Guyana Consumers Association would soon be writing Banks DIH and Royal Castle asking them to come on board just as McDonald’s and Subway have done in the United States. |
