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PUBLIC HEALTH
Strategy lauded, but some fear it is lax on agricultural use.
A push by the US government to stop the rise of antibiotic resistance has drawn broad praise from advocates who have long warned about this publichealth threat. Some, however, are concerned that the plan might not do enough to curb the use of these drugs in livestock.
Released by the White House on 18 September with an accompanying report by a presidential science advisory panel, the executive order instructs leaders of several US agencies to develop a fiveyear plan to limit the spread of resistance, using strategies such as developing new antibiotics and finding better ways to diagnose antibioticresistant infections quickly. It received the nod of approval from many experts.
"I find this report surprisingly detailed and surprisingly on target," says Stuart Levy, a physician and microbiologist at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, who has long campaigned for prudent antibiotic use. It hits all the most important topics, he says:...