Farmers in Zimbabwe are using antiretroviral drugs for poultry feeding.

Reports have emerged that poultry farmers in Zimbabwe are adding drugs intended for the treatment of HIV into poultry feed. The drugs are allegedly purchased on the black market. Some farmers mistakenly believe that these medications accelerate the growth of the livestock and help the poultry resist disease.

Dr. Linda Bester from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Animal Research Ethics Committee refutes the effectiveness of this method. According to her, the external increase in the volume of the birds is merely the result of chemical edema, rather than real growth of muscle mass. The "survival" effect in poultry is also false: farmers simply slaughter the birds earlier than the diseases characteristic of broilers have time to manifest.

Experts emphasize that the use of human medicinal products in animal husbandry is unacceptable and unethical. Unlike veterinary drugs, human medications do not undergo testing for use in agriculture, and their application does not imply compliance with withdrawal periods before slaughter. This makes the meat a dangerous product for human consumption.

Experts see the primary danger in the development of drug resistance. Constant consumption of residual doses of drugs through food products contributes to the formation of resistant strains of microorganisms. This is a global problem that the World Health Organization classifies as a "silent pandemic." Ultimately, such actions may lead to a situation where vital medicines for humans cease to work.