Flagstaff residents may soon see advertisements in town encouraging women to “go vegan” to reduce their risk of urinary tract infections. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, the campaign is run by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, and was inspired by recent scientific research.
The advertisementcites a recent study that found eight percent of urinary tract infections at Flagstaff’s hospital could be traced to E. coli bacteria in raw meat. That scales up to half a million infections in the United States every year.
Amber Canavan, a PETA spokesperson, "We’re pointing out that…meat consumption is a concern for people who are going through sometimes repeated urinary tract infections; that the bacteria that’s coming from meat is possibly causing this very hidden public health issue."
Canavan says she hopes the campaign will encourage people to consider other health problems linked to meat and broader issues like climate change.