To: Permaculture ibiblio <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [permaculture] [Fwd: Honey and MRSA]
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:16:36 -0500
MRSA killed 19,000 Americans in 2005 (17,000 died of AIDS in the same
period) and incidence is on the rise largely due to CAFOs and their
indiscriminate use of antibiotics, without which the animals would
probably die in mass numbers. Instead they become food for most Americans.
ACRES USA reports further that the bacteria was found on 45% of the
farms in Ontario, 25% of the pigs, and 20% of the farmers. Attendees at
the 2005 International Veterinary Convention were tested for the disease
and of the 27 positives, 23 were Americans. 81% of all Dutch hog farms
had one or more infected pigs and that 39% of pigs at slaughter carried
the bacteria and Dutch pig farmers had 760 times as much as regular
patients admitted to hospitals. The greatest incidence occurred on farms
where large amounts of antibiotics were used (duh). No one is
systematically testing for it in the USA.
Here's a treatment for the flesh-eating bug from, oddly, Wired magazine.