Time to stop medicating our chickens

A study has found the use of antibiotics in chickens, will lead to an unhealthy Delhi

Eating chicken is dangerous, or that's what a study by the CSE - Centre for Science and Environment - says. According to the study, Delhi's chickens have been pumped full of antibiotics, ensuring that fellow Delhiites develop a resistance to them.

This has resulted in a 'sicker' Delhi with many Delhiites falling prey to ailments that otherwise would have been easily cured.

The study also says that the antibiotics are force- fed to the chickens as it makes them grow faster and fatter. Thanks to there being no laws against this practice, the chickens are not only helping to make Delhiites immune to treatment but also passing on potentially harmful bacteria, that ironically is also antibiotic resistant. Transmitted through food or the environment, this bacteria can further health problems in the Capital.

So what are the options? The first and foremost is regulation.

The government must immediately pass legislation that makes feeding antibiotics to chicken.

This is with special regard to antibiotics that are critical in human treatment - enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin are just two examples. The other point to note is that poultry must be regulated and monitored by food inspectors, with signs put up in butcher stores stating that this chicken is antibiotic- free much as butchers do nowadays to signify if their meat is halal or not. Such measures will allay fears and prevent a future health scare in the offing.

India's problem is a global one.

Researchers complain the meat industry does not publicise the use of antibiotics, so the actual problem is hard to tell. However, the use of antibiotics to feed animals is already banned in the EU and Canada, though it is still legal in the US. A possible solution has been prescribed by the WHO which recommends that prescriptions be required for all antibiotics used to feed animals or treat sick food animals. Such a practice, if followed, will ensure the good health of all chicken lovers in India.