Appendix 4: WHO Guidelines on Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Food-Producing Animals123 In November 2017, the World Health Organization formally adopted a set of guidelines on the use of medically important antibiotics in livestock and poultry production. The guidelines focus on on-farm practices that can best help to preserve the future efficacy of antibiotics for treating people and animals. Approved WHO guidelines are developed under a strict and fully transparent process; to ensure a strong scientific basis, these guidelines drew upon two separate, peer-reviewed summaries of the scientific literature.124 Key recommendations from the guidelines include: » Overall reduction in the use of all classes of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals. » Complete restriction of use of all classes of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals for » growth promotion. » Complete restriction of use of all classes of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals for » prevention of infectious diseases that have not yet been clinically diagnosed.
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