Congress member Louise Slaughter is teaming up with the Rochester Institute of Technology, Wegmans, and other organizations in the fight against the misuse of antibiotics.

• FILE PHOTO
• Louise Slaughter.

Misuse or overuse of antibiotics results in at least 23,000 deaths every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Slaughter has been trying since 1999 to pass a bill to ban farmers from using the antibiotics deemed by the World Health Organization to be the most medically important to humans.

Farmers often use antibiotics to promote faster growth in livestock.

On March 12, Slaughter will announce the reintroduction of her bill at a screening of the documentary film, "Resistance" at RIT. The film looks at bacterial resistance and its impact on public health.

"This is a very important piece of work," Slaughter says. "It's really the major scientists in the United States telling us what trouble we're in here with antibiotic resistance."

The event begins with a 5:30 p.m. reception outside RIT's Panara Theatre, 52 Lomb Memorial Drive, and also includes a panel discussion.

Sponsors of the screening are RIT's College of Health Sciences and Technology; RIT's College of Science; RIT's School of Film and Animation; Wegmans; and the Rochester Regional Health System.

More information: resistancethefilm.com/