Meat Industry Spreads MRSA: Go Vegetarian Now

COMMENTARY | When I first went vegetarian seven years ago, I chose to do it for the environment. Knowing the impact of the meat industry on our planet -- the pollution of waterways, the emission of greenhouse gases, and the clear-cutting of ancient rainforest -- I could not, in good conscience, allow myself to eat meat. Concern for the planet still plays a role in my decision to avoid meat, but another factor also comes into play: concern for the health of my fellow humans. The meat industry is largely responsible for a dangerous, looming pandemic that currently claims the lives of 20,000 Americans each year. Out of concern and respect for those people, I choose not to eat meat.

According to a report by ABC's Mikaela Conley, new strains of the bacterium methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureas, or MRSA, are continuously discovered in livestock, and these strains may be spreading to human beings. On large-scale factory farms, where animals are kept in unnaturally confined, unsanitary quarters, livestock must be fed massive amounts of antibiotics in order to prevent infection. Bacteria quickly build up resistance to these drugs, with the particularly virulent "superbug" MRSA becoming increasingly untreatable. When these bacteria jump from animal to human, severe infection and death can ensue.

My personal experience with MRSA makes the bug an especially sensitive topic. At 17, I developed a horrendously painful boil under my arm. After two minor surgeries and three mysteriously ineffective rounds of antibiotics, a culture revealed that MRSA was to blame for the infection. Even after the doctors discovered this, it took a year and a half of monthly minor surgeries, combined with regular injections of the world's strongest antibiotics, before the infection finally resolved. I was young, healthy, and blessed with access to medical care. Had I been older, immunocompromised, or uninsured, the bug could have easily claimed my life.

MRSA can and does claim new victims each day, and the numbers of casualties will grow higher as we continue to overuse antibiotics -- especially in livestock. Although the increasingly resistant MRSA strains aren't likely to jump to human victims through prepared meat, they can easily spread to the people who work on factory farms. I find this particularly disturbing, since many factory farm workers are undocumented immigrants, and almost all lack access to medical care. This means that the infections in farm workers are likely to go undiagnosed and untreated, so they can spread rapidly to the general population.

The abuse of antibiotics absolutely must stop. Overuse of these miracle drugs has led to a new era of untreatable illness, and we are mere decades away from pandemic if we don't change our ways. While antibiotics are necessary in many cases for human health, the factory farm industry is a colossal and dangerous machine that we do not need, that does no good to humans, animals, or the environment.

You do not have to be a tree-hugger or an animal lover to see the benefits of vegetarianism. Respect for human life, and a desire to halt the spread of untreatable illness, can and should be an equally valid motivation. I can't change the world or stop the spread of MRSA myself, but I'll keep declining my friends' invitations to McDonald's -- not just for myself, for cattle, or for the planet, but also to help save the lives of other human beings.

Juniper Russo is an activist, freelance writer, health advocate, and full-time mom living in Chattanooga, Tenn.

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Obama asks for hike in industry funding for FDA

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama asked on Monday for a 17 percent hike in the Food and Drug Administration's budget, but much of the increase would come from companies, not tax dollars.

Almost half of the FDA's proposed $4.5 billion budget would come from inspections and fees paid by companies that make pharmaceutical and medical devices like Pfizer Inc and Medtronic Inc.

Federal spending for the FDA would increase by 0.5 percent to $2.5 billion for fiscal year 2013, which starts October 1.

The FDA regulates products that make up about a quarter of the U.S. economy and deals with food and drug safety issues and drug side effects.

"There is a common good here, and I think it's not inappropriate that industry help and support these critical services that matter so much to the health of the nation and the health of the economy," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said at a press conference.

About a third of the FDA's funding in the past five years has come from company fees. Under Obama's proposal, the amount would increase to 45 percent, supported in part by new fee agreements with manufacturers of generic drugs and versions of complex biotechnology medicines, and fees from food facilities.

"In this year of austerity, we appreciate that the President has proposed the same funding for FDA, even while many other agencies have been cut," said Diane Dorman, vice president of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA, a coalition of consumer, patient and industry groups that support increased FDA funding.

"However, this is not enough when the FDA mission is expanding and the agency is providing services and protections that Americans value," said Dorman, who is also a vice president of policy at the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Some $10 million of the FDA budget would go to hiring 19 inspectors to focus on China. Sixteen of them would work in China on food and drug safety and standards.

To reduce costs for consumers by opening the market earlier to generic drugmakers, Obama asked to cut to seven from 12 the number of years drugmakers could exclusively market brand-name biotech drugs.

Obama's plan must be approved by Congress, where it could it could be stalled by wrangling over spending cuts and tax hikes.

(Reporting by Anna Yukhananov)

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