Testimony 1
Good Afternoon, Congress. Thank you for inviting me to discuss the significant issues and possible actions that can be brought to the antibiotic resistance issue. My name is Dr. Joe. I am a professor of professor of Society and Genetics. Through the research facilities at the university, I cultivate bacteria and observe what harms or benefits the different species are. For years, I focused my research on society’s effect on bacteria’s natural development.
The issue I bring to you today demands a shift in perception of bacteria and antibiotics, a paradigm shift. We need to change the way we focus our attention on these topics. These points will allow us to develop an idea of how to take a stand sociologically in the war against resistant bacteria. Society idolizes antibacterial products, abuses antibiotic drugs, and fears any bacteria they can possibly come into contact with which all pose as problems for the challenge of antibiotic resistance.
First issue at hand, antibacterial products. Society is fed the idea that in order to be healthy, one must consume or use these antibacterial or antibiotic products prophylactically. Antibacterial products are ideally used to protect oneself from the so called “harmful bacteria,” when in reality the products “kill susceptible bacteria and promote the growth of resistant strains” (Levy 1998b, 48). Society is producing the opposite of their desired results, and in the long run cause bacteria to become more resistant and abundant due to their lack of competition. What needs to be taking into consideration is the issue that these products are not only killing bacteria they deemed harmful, but also those susceptible bacteria that are helpful and innocently
in the way (Levy 1998, 49). The more society continues to practice these insufficient ways of protecting themselves, the more the bacteria begin to develop and grow.
Secondly, society has taken advantage of the accessibility of antibiotics and end up...