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Will the COVID-19 pandemic threaten the SDGs?

An editorial in The Lancet Public Health: Will the COVID-19 pandemic threaten the SDGs? - The Lancet Public Health.

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, provide an international framework to move by 2030 toward more equitable, peaceful, resilient, and prosperous societies—while living within sustainable planetary boundaries. As the UN celebrates its 75th anniversary and a third of the SDG timeline has passed, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020—prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in collaboration with experts and international agencies— tells a story of tentative but insufficient progress, and warns of the regressive impact of the coronavirus pandemic. 

According to the report, COVID-19 threatens to reverse the progress of SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and wellbeing for all. During the crisis, 70 countries have halted childhood vaccination programmes, and in many places, health services for cancer screening, family planning, or non-COVID-19 infectious diseases have been interrupted or are being neglected. Health service disruptions could reverse decades of improvement, warns the report. Allowing people to slip through these service gaps could affect population health for years to come.

Even before COVID-19 the world was off track to end poverty by 2030 under SDG 1, with projections suggesting that 6% of the global population would still be living in extreme poverty in 2030. Now, an estimated 71 million additional people could be living in extreme poverty due to COVID-19. Although income inequality has been falling in some countries, a global economic recession in the wake of the pandemic could push millions back into poverty and exacerbate inequalities. The most susceptible groups are being hit hardest by the pandemic, threatening SDG 10. 

Similarly, the ambition under SDG 2 to end hunger was faltering before COVID-19—the population affected by food insecurity had risen between 2014 and 2018—but the COVID-19 crisis has added to pressure on production, supply chains, and household incomes, with the poorest being most affected. Access to water and sanitation (SDG 6) remains a major health issue. 2·2 billion people remain without safe drinking water and the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted lack of access to sanitation for billions. 

Tackling global poverty and water and food scarcity is intrinsically linked to mitigating climate and land-use change. However, as the SDGs report shows, the world is off track to meet the goals toward environmental sustainability encompassed by SDGs 7–9 and 11–15. Most countries are not meeting their commitments to limit greenhouse gas emissions. We are in danger of missing targets to improve urban environments by reducing the number of people living in slums, increasing access to public transport, and reducing air pollution. Aims towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth, energy provision, and infrastructure development had all been falling short before COVID-19 and face considerable setbacks in the shadow of an economic recession. 

The aim of SDG 4—to achieve inclusive and equitable access to education—also looks likely to be missed, with a projection that more than 200 million children will still be out of education by 2030. Most of the world's children have been deprived of formal education during the COVID-19 outbreak—a legacy that could threaten the SDGs' underlying ambition to leave no one behind. The world has made progress on SDG 5's gender equality goals, with fewer girls being forced into early marriage and more women entering leadership roles. However, women's wellbeing has suffered during the COVID-19 outbreak, with incidences of domestic violence increasing by 30% in some countries and a greater demand on women for unpaid care work. 

Finally, reaching the SDGs will be impossible without international cooperation. The political tensions stoked by COVID-19 and a trend toward hardening of national borders could threaten SDG 16 to promote peace and safety from violence and SDG 17 to strengthen international partnerships. 

Achieving the transformative vision of the SDGs by 2030 requires a major realignment of most countries' national priorities toward long-term, cooperative, and drastically accelerated action. For António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, “Everything we do during and after this crisis must be with a strong focus on building more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change, and the many other global challenges we face.” The intersecting challenges of health and sustainability might never have been clearer: an opportunity not to be missed.

Beijing battles ‘explosive COVID-19 outbreak’ as food market cases mount

Via the South China Morning Post: Beijing battles ‘explosive coronavirus outbreak’ as food market cases mount. Excerpt:

Beijing is battling an “explosive outbreak” of the coronavirus, with health authorities reporting 36 new local infections in the city in one day – all linked to a food market. 

As scientists try to track how the latest outbreak in Beijing emerged, the capital and neighbouring regions have stepped up emergency measures, including renewing lockdowns. 

The capital has had 79 new local cases since last Thursday, all of which are linked to the Xinfadi wholesale market in the city’s southwestern district of Fengtai. 

Covering 112 hectares, the centre is the biggest of its kind in Asia and supplies food to northern provinces.  

Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Monday afternoon that the situation was very serious. 

“Beijing is facing explosive and concentrated outbreaks even though the national epidemic has basically been blocked,” Wu said. 

“The fact that it happened in Xinfadi, a large wholesale market, is a challenge in itself as we try to carry out epidemiological investigations.” 

Authorities have locked down 21 residential estates in Fengtai and the northern district of Haidian, which is also home to a big food market. Access to the areas is strictly controlled and mass coronavirus testing is under way. 

The municipal government has asked people who have been to the Xinfadi market over the past 14 days to stay at home, while a press conference on China’s economic development scheduled for Monday morning was abruptly cancelled. 

On Sunday, Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan pledged “firm and decisive measures” to stop the spread. 

Elsewhere, Baoding in the neighbouring province of Hebei reported a cluster of three patients and an asymptomatic case in one family. A 31-year-old seafood dealer at Xinfadi, his 53-year-old mother-in-law and six-year-old daughter all visited the market early this month and tested positive for the coronavirus. The man’s 31-year-old pregnant wife also tested positive but had no symptoms. She visited two medical centres for maternity checks last week. 

Authorities in Chengdu, in southwestern Sichuan province, said a woman who flew into the city last Tuesday tested positive, as did her husband in Beijing. 

The Liaoning provincial health authority said two close contacts of a confirmed patient in Beijing were confirmed to be infected on Saturday. 

Administrations around the country have responded with preventive measures. Baoding said it would remain in “wartime” mode, while Liaoning in the north and Xiamen in Fujian province in the southeast have ordered that all people returning from some parts of Beijing isolate for 14 days. Daqing in Heilongjiang province in the northeast has demanded 21 days of isolation for travellers from Beijing.

COVID-19 in China on Sunday night and Monday morning

It's been busy. Via Global Times: Real-time update on coronavirus outbreak. Note that the Chinese have traced the new local strain of SARS-CoV-2 to Europe. Excerpt:

8:30 am Jun 15 

North China’s Hebei Province reported three COVID-19 cases on Sunday, which were close contacts of infection cases found in Beijing’s Xinfadi market. 

7:58 am Jun 15 

Chinese mainland reports 49 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 10 imported cases, and 18 new asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. 

Beijing reported 36 new confirmed domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases and 6 new asymptomatic cases on Sunday 

11:50 pm Jun 14 

The coronavirus epidemic in Beijing is still very grim, and there are uncertainties in the prevention and control works: National Health Commission on Sunday 

10:54 pm Jun 14 

A comprehensive investigation and screening to be conducted on people who have been to Xinfadi wholesale market and Jingshen seafood market in Beijing since May 30, said E China's Anhui on Sunday, noting related people will undergo a quarantine and nucleic acid test immediately. 

10:46 pm Jun 14 

Five govt departments of Beijing jointly stipulate that close contacts of people related to Xinfadi wholesale market are not allowed to resume office work within 14 days after reporting. 

10:18 pm Jun 14 

A worker at the Yuquandong Market in Beijing's Haidian district has tested positive for the coronavirus and the local CDC is taking samples from every stall at the market. More than 300 workers at the market are being tested for virus.  

Chengdu, capital of SW China's Sichuan Province, said in a notice on Sunday that people should avoid buying overseas products from areas severely stricken by the COVID-19 epidemic. Packages of fresh produces bought via e-commerce platforms should be disinfected upon arrival. 

9:05 pm Jun 14 

Some communities in Beijing's Chaoyang district have upgraded their response level against COVID-19 to Level II, as have Xicheng, Shjijngshan and Haidian districts. 

9:01 pm Jun 14 

COVID-19 tests showed negative results on cutting boards, knives and sewage at stalls selling imported salmon in 13 supermarkets and 14 farmers' markets in Wuhan: local health authority on Sunday  

8:49 pm Jun 14 

SW China's Sichuan Province on Sunday said it is requiring all arrivals from medium and high risk COVID-19 infection areas of Beijing to quarantine for 14 days. 

8:29 pm Jun 14 

China's central govt vows to launch a thorough screening and epidemiological survey around Xinfadi market in Beijing due to recent COVID-19 cases. The govt has also called on markets, restaurants and the delivery industry nationwide to conduct disinfection procedures. 

8:15 pm Jun 14 

Alipay, of Alibaba Group, dismissed a rumor Sunday that suggested it helped, through its Alipay big data, to locate and track 350,000 people who had been to Beijing's Xinfadi Wholesale Market.  

8:05 pm Jun 14 

The COVID-19 virus genome sequencing from Beijing's clustered infections in the Xinfadi market showed the virus is from Europe. Preliminary results showed the infections are related to imported cases: Beijing CDC researcher

Strain in Beijing COVID-19 outbreak not like the type circulating in China: CDC chief epidemiologist

Via Global Times: Strain in Beijing COVID-19 outbreak not like the type circulating in China: CDC chief epidemiologist. It's notable that a rapid surveillance of Xinfadi market turned up 40 positive environmental samples--not just a lone chopping board. Excerpt:

Beijing is going through an important test in its fight against COVID-19, and if it is not handled well, will cause a second wave of the outbreak, according to the chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  

"Like the rest of the country, most of the population in Beijing is susceptible to COVID-19. Fortunately, Beijing found it early and moved fast," Zeng Guang, the CDC epidemiologist, told Chinese media on Saturday, warning that the Beijing regional outbreak could bring a second wave. 

This test that Beijing is going through is the biggest one after the whole country experienced a calm period, Zeng noted.  

Zeng revealed that preliminary results from viral gene sequencing show that the virus strain in Beijing this time does not resemble the type widely circulating in the country. 

Two samples have already been tested, and more tests are needed to determine where the epidemic is headed, he noted.  

Chen Xi, an associate professor of public health at Yale University, also suggested making a comparison of types of viral gene sequencing from different countries, to determine whether the virus detected in Beijing is from the origin nations of salmon.  

The novel coronavirus was detected on a chopping board used by a seller of imported salmon at Xinfadi market. China imports about 80,000 tons of chilled and frozen salmon each year, mainly from Chile, Norway, Faroe Islands, Australia and Canada, according to news site Jiemian.com.  

A preliminary investigation showed those confirmed cases may have been in contact with the contaminated environment at the Xinfadi Market or had contact with people who were affected, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of Beijing municipal center for disease prevention and control, said at a press conference on Saturday.  

She said the possibility of more COVID-19 infections cannot be ruled out.

Beijing district on ‘wartime’ alert after fresh COVID-19 outbreak

Via the South China Morning Post: Beijing district on ‘wartime’ alert after fresh coronavirus outbreak.Click or tap through for photo and videos, including an interview with Zhong Nanshan warning about a second wave.

The Chinese capital has shut down its biggest vegetable market and declared “wartime management” in one district amid a new cluster of coronavirus cases in which more than 50 people tested positive for the pathogen. 

One health expert said the spike in infections linked to the market mirrored the early stages of the outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, and Beijing should be on high alert to prevent the coronavirus from spreading to other cities. 

The Beijing Health Commission said on Saturday that four more patients were confirmed with the virus and had symptoms, bringing the total number of new local cases in the last few days to seven. Two others were announced on Friday and one on Thursday, ending the capital’s 55-day run without new local cases. 

More than 40 people at the market tested positive but showed no symptoms. 

On Friday, the northeastern province of Liaoning also announced that it had two new cases, both of whom were close contacts of the two Beijing reported that day. Residents in the Liaoning city of Dalian have been advised to avoid going to Beijing.  

Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of Beijing’s centre for disease control and prevention, said all of the cases were linked to the Xinfadi Agricultural Products Wholesale Market in Fengtai district, in southern Beijing. 

The market, the biggest in the city for fruit and vegetables, was shut down completely on Saturday morning. Its meat and seafood section had already been closed. 

Three of the four cases announced on Saturday had worked at the market while all four visited it before showing the symptoms. 

Pang said these patients had probably contracted the disease after coming in contact with infected workers or contamination at the market. 

Pang said health workers took samples for testing from the site and more than 500 people working at the market. In all, 45 people from Xinfadi and another worker at a market in Haidian district tested positive for the coronavirus but showed no symptoms. 

The asymptomatic patients had been quarantined and put under observation. 

Salmon was also taken off the menu of restaurants in the city after the virus was detected on cutting boards used at Xinfadi to prepare imported salmon, Beijing Youth Daily reported. Major supermarket chains, including Carrefour, had taken salmon and related products off the shelves. 

In Dongcheng district, a downtown area that covers Tiananmen Square and the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, residents who had been to Xinfadi over the past 14 days also had to be tested, the newspaper reported. 

Xu Hejian, deputy director of the propaganda department of the Beijing municipal Communist Party committee, said prevention and control efforts could not be relaxed, Beijing Daily reported on Saturday. 

Sporting events and tour group trips to Beijing have been suspended and a return to class for pupils in kindergarten and the first three years of primary school has been put on hold. 

Fengtai’s acting chief, Chu Junwei, said a command centre had been set up to oversee “wartime” restrictions in the district. 

Chu said 11 residential compounds surrounding the Xinfadi market had been locked down and were under guard. Three nearby primary schools and six kindergartens had suspended classes.  

Health commission spokesman Gao Xiaojun said the city would take samples from everybody who had “close contacts” with the Xinfadi market since May 30. 

The commission was working with the police on a screening plan and would release it soon, he said. 

The Beijing News quoted some restaurant managers as saying the city’s commerce bureau told them to check each customer’s health code – which indicates their risk of spreading the virus – before allowing them to enter. 

Restaurants should also ask workers delivering supplies from the lamb and beef trade hall of the Xinfadi market and the Jingshen wholesale seafood market to show their test results.  

Feng Zhanchun, a public health expert from Huazhong University of Science and Technology’s Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, said the links between the seven cases to the Xinfadi market and the positive test results from the 45 others at the centre meant the virus was spreading in the community. 

“There is still no conclusion on the source and route of infection for Covid-19,” Feng said, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus. 

“Beijing must urgently upgrade epidemic control measures.” 

He said the situation was similar to the early stages of the outbreak in Wuhan where infections were first reported in a seafood market and later spread across the city. 

“If it can’t be put under control right now, the virus will affect many people in a short time because of the high density of population in cities,” Feng said.

US: Major meat plant is closing indefinitely over COVID-19

Via The New York Times: Coronavirus Live Updates: As Trump Pushes Timeline to Reopen Economy, Some Business Leaders Urge Caution. Excerpt:

Smithfield Foods said Sunday that its plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., one of the nation’s largest pork processing facilities, would remain closed indefinitely at the urging of the governor and mayor after 293 workers tested positive for coronavirus.  

The plant, which employs 3,700 workers and produces about 130 million servings of food per week, is responsible for about half of the state’s total number of cases. 

Meat production workers often work elbow to elbow, cleaning and deboning products in large open areas filled with hundreds of people. The closure at Smithfield follows the halting of production at several other poultry and meat plants across the country as workers have fallen ill with Covid-19.  

Many meat processing facilities have been hit hard by the virus. Three workers have died at a Tyson Foods poultry plant in Camilla, Ga. Tyson also shut a pork plant in Iowa after an outbreak there among workers. JBS USA, the world’s largest meat processor, confirmed the death of one worker at a Colorado facility and shuttered a plant in Pennsylvania for two weeks.  

In a statement announcing the closure, Smithfield’s chief executive warned that the closures were threatening the U.S. meat supply. The shuttered plant produces about 4 percent to 5 percent of the country’s pork, Smithfield said.  

“The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,” Kenneth M. Sullivan, the president and chief executive of Smithfield, warned in a statement. 

He continued, “It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running.”  

Several meat processing corporations are offering cash bonuses to workers who continue showing up for work amid the pandemic. Workers have said they feel pressured to do so, even if they are feeling unwell. Smithfield said it would continue paying Sioux Falls plant workers for two weeks, “and hopes to keep them from joining the ranks of the tens of millions of unemployed Americans across the country.”

A message from one of our local supermarkets on COVID-19

An email from Stong's, a supermarket where we do a lot of shopping: Working Together To Keep Our Community Safe. Excerpt and then a comment:

To our Valued Guests,   

As the coronavirus COVID-19 affects communities across Canada, we want to update you on what we are doing at Stong’s.  Our entire team of almost 300 strong have been working diligently to keep our stores running.  Our supply chain remains robust and we are working around the clock to replenish our shelves.  The number of people looking to use our on line shopping service has been overwhelming and we continue to add resources to try and address this challenge.  

As your local community grocery store, our number one priority is to keep our customers and our team members safe. In addition to the steps I outlined in my communication last week, we continue to make changes as the situation evolves.  Some of the changes we are making include, but are not limited to:   

Store Hours – effective immediately our store hours have changed to 8am – 9pm daily 

Special shopping hours – On Wednesdays and Fridays, we will open our doors one hour early as a special shopping hour for seniors and those at risk 

New Signage – installation of visual reminders for all visitors to practice social distancing 

Reusable Grocery bags –for customers that choose to bring their own shopping bags, we will ask for your help to please bag your own groceries. 

Online shopping – we are actively hiring and putting out a call for volunteers in the community to assist those that are unable to get out and shop.  

For everyone that has visited our stores, you would have noticed some of the actions we have already taken:  

• We have suspended the sale of any self serve ready to eat foods including our salad bars, bulk foods, hot soup and bulk bakery products 

• We have removed all indoor seating to encourage social distancing 

• We have added janitorial staff devoted strictly to the increased cleaning and sanitizing of all high touch areas throughout the store 

• We have reduced the hours in our café, which will allow us to redeploy our resources to more essential services within the store   

How you can help us: 

• Practice proper social distancing.  Keep your distance from other customers whenever and wherever possible 

• Please shop in store if you are able, and leave our on line shopping service for those that are unable to leave their homes at this time. 

• Recognize the efforts of our team in store.  Please show kindness to all, as a community, we will all get through this if we all support one another.   

At Stong’s we are committed to doing our best to ensure our stores offer a safe shopping and working environment and help keep our communities safe. We will continue to monitor all public health departments advisories and, when appropriate and available, update you on how we are adapting our store practices with everyone’s safety in mind.   

Thank you for your continued support. Stay safe!

Meanwhile, just a block away from Stong's on Dollarton Highway, Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers have dropped their excellent lunches; they are now off-sales only. As a loyal fan of their Tin Can ale, I hope that they too stay safe, but they really need to update their website right away.

Japan: Hokkaido woman infected with coronavirus served lunch at local elementary school

Via The Mainichi: Hokkaido woman infected with coronavirus served lunch at local elementary school.

A lunch lady in her 50s responsible for delivering meals to classrooms at an elementary school in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, northern Japan, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the city education board announced on Feb. 23. 

The school building will be disinfected before classes resume on Feb. 25. None of the students have reportedly complained of feeling unwell. 

According to the Ebetsu Municipal Board of Education, the infected woman is responsible for dividing up the lunch dishes in the school food service room and bringing the meals up to the doors of each classroom for the second to fourth grades, comprising 194 students. She wore a face mask, gloves and a white coat during work.  

The woman complained of a sore throat on Feb. 13 but worked the next day, and did not go to see a doctor until Feb. 15. Her two co-workers have been put on leave until the end of this month as a precautionary measure. 

On Feb. 23, a total of 12 people in Hokkaido, Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, and the central Japan prefecture of Aichi tested positive for the novel coronavirus.  

In Hokkaido, nine people in their 20s to 80s have been confirmed infected. According to the prefectural government, a student in her 20s is in serious condition and is on a ventilator.  

A man in his 40s who lives in Chiba and works in Tokyo was also confirmed to have the virus. He began suffering from joint and muscle pain on Feb. 12 but went ahead with business trips to Hiroshima and Gifu prefectures, in western and central Japan, respectively. He traveled by shinkansen bullet train and occasionally by rental car during the trips, and developed a cough and fatigue on Feb. 14. 

A woman and a man in their 70s in Nagoya who tested positive for coronavirus were confirmed to have been in the same building as a woman in her 60s infected with the new virus.

US: CDC investigation update of E. coli 0157 H7 infections now linked to romaine lettuce

CDC has published CDC Investigation Update of E. coli 0157 H7 Infections Now Linked to Romaine Lettuce. Excerpt:

A CDC investigation notice of a multistate outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 infections has been posted: https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2019/o157h7-11-19/index.html  

What is new: 

• Consumers should not eat and retailers and restaurants should not sell or serve any romaine lettuce harvested from the Salinas, Calif. growing region. 

• This advice includes all types of romaine lettuce harvested from Salinas, such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, and packages of precut lettuce and salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, Caesar salad, and organic romaine. 

• If you have romaine lettuce at your home or restaurant and the label says “Salinas” (whether alone or with the name of another location). don’t eat it. Throw it away. If you don’t know if the lettuce is romaine or whether a salad mix contains romaine, don’t eat it or serve it. Throw it away. 

• Most romaine lettuce products are labeled with a harvest location showing where they were grown. Do not eat, serve, or sell any lettuce labeled as grown in Salinas, regardless of any other location on the label. 

• Restaurants and retailers should check the label on bags or boxes of romaine lettuce or ask their suppliers about the source of their romaine lettuce. 

Latest outbreak information:  

• A total of 40 people infected with the outbreak strain of coli 0157:H7 have been reported from 16 states. 

• A total of 27 hospitalizations have been reported. Five people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported. 

• Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence and interviews with ill people indicate that romaine lettuce from the Salinas, Calif., growing region may be contaminated with coli O157:H7 and is making people sick. 

• FDA is tracing the romaine lettuce eaten by ill people in this outbreak. Preliminary information collected indicates that the lettuce eaten by some of the ill people was grown in Salinas, Calif. No common grower, supplier, distributor, or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified. 

• The USDA has recalled several products containing romaine lettuce due to possible coli contamination. 

• Laboratory data confirmed this outbreak is caused by the same strain of coli O157:H7 that caused previous outbreaks linked to leafy greens in 2017 and romaine lettuce in 2018. 

• This investigation is ongoing and CDC will provide updates when more information becomes available. 

About Shiga toxin-producing E. coli:  

• People get sick from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli an average of 3 to 4 days after swallowing the germ. 

• Most people get diarrhea (often bloody), severe stomach cramps, and vomiting. 

• Most people recover within a week, but some illnesses can last longer and be more severe. 

• Antibiotics are not recommended for patients with suspected E. coli infections until diagnostic testing can be performed and E. coli infection is ruled out.

See also this Washington Post report.

US: Tainted pork, ill consumers and an investigation thwarted

Via The New York Times: Tainted Pork, Ill Consumers and an Investigation Thwarted. Excerpt:

It was 7 a.m. on Independence Day when a doctor told Rose and Roger Porter Jr. that their daughter could die within hours. For nearly a week, Mikayla, 10, had suffered intensifying bouts of fever, diarrhea and stabbing stomach pains. 

That morning, the Porters rushed her to a clinic where a doctor called for a helicopter to airlift her to a major medical center.  

The gravity of the girl’s illness was remarkable given its commonplace source. She had gotten food poisoning at a pig roast from meat her parents had bought at a local butcher in McKenna, Wash., and spit-roasted, as recommended, for 13 hours. 

Mikayla was one of nearly 200 people reported ill in the summer of 2015 in Washington State from tainted pork — victims of the fastest-growing salmonella variant in the United States, a strain that is particularly dangerous because it is resistant to antibiotics.

 What followed was an exhaustive detective hunt by public health authorities that was crippled by weak, loophole-ridden laws and regulations — and ultimately blocked by farm owners who would not let investigators onto their property and by their politically powerful allies in the pork industry. 

The surge in drug-resistant infections is one of the word’s most ominous health threats, and public health authorities say one of the biggest causes is farmers who dose millions of pigs, cows and chickens with antibiotics to keep them healthy — sometimes in crowded conditions before slaughter.

Overuse of the drugs has allowed germs to develop defenses to survive. Drug-resistant infections in animals are spreading to people, jeopardizing the effectiveness of drugs that have provided quick cures for a vast range of ailments and helped lengthen human lives over much of the past century.

But public health investigators at times have been unable to obtain even the most basic information about practices on farms. Livestock industry executives sit on federal Agriculture Department advisory committees, pour money into political campaigns and have had a seat at the table in drafting regulations for the industry, helping to ensure that access to farms is generally at the owners’ discretion. 

Dr. Parthapratim Basu, a former chief veterinarian of the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, said the pork industry regularly thwarted access to information on antibiotic use. 

“When it comes to power, no one dares to stand up to the pork industry,” he said, “not even the U.S. government.”