Drug-resistant infections rise at hospitals
THE number of people admitted to hospital with antibiotic-resistant infections has risen sharply in Southport and Ormskirk.
Figures from NHS Digital show that there were an estimated 180 cases of antimicrobial resistance reported at the hospital trust in 201/19.
That figure is double the amount recorded two years earlier, though remains below the 195 instances seen in 2014/15.
The number includes bacterial infections that have become resistant to antibiotics, as well as viruses, fungal infections, and parasitic infections that can no longer be treated by usual means.
Misuse and over-prescribing of antibiotic drugs is creating resistant strains of bacteria against which none of our current medicines work – and scientists aren’t developing new ones fast enough.
That might eventually mean we return to an age before antibiotics – where people were less likely to survive common infections.
An NHS spokesperson said: “Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most serious health challenges facing every country in the world, and a failure to tackle it will mean an increasing impact on both individuals and services.
“The NHS
is already playing a leading role, reducing the use of antibiotics by over 10% since 2013, and our long term plan aims to achieve an additional 15% reduction over the next four years.”
Alder Hey Children’s
NHS Foundation Trust saw the largest percentage increase in cases in Merseyside as the number of admissions of patients with drug resistant infections rose 212% in the last year, with roughly 125 cases recorded.
That figure is up from about 40 in 2017-18, and about 10 cases five years ago.
The rise in drug resistant infections in recent years has come despite
GPs in our area prescribing fewer antibiotics.
Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Antibiotics are essential drugs and effective when used appropriately, but growing bacterial resistance to them has serious implications for patient care as in many cases, there will be no alternative treatment.
“As recent data show, GPs are doing a very good job at reducing antibiotics prescribing under difficult circumstances – we lack the necessary time with patients to explain to them why antibiotics are not an appropriate treatment for many conditions, and we often need to strike a skilful balance trying to reduce antibiotic prescribing and ensuring that we do not overlook potentially serious illnesses such as sepsis.
“Tackling antibiotic resistance cannot be the responsibility of GPs alone.
“We need the public to understand that antibiotics are not appropriate for many conditions, for example viral infections, and that they will not work to treat these.
“We also need to see more research and investment ploughed into developing new strains of antibiotics in order to tackle emerging infections.”
Throughout England, the number of cases of drug resistant infections has risen by 40% since 2014-15 while antibiotic prescriptions have fallen by 9% since 2015-16.
The trust which recorded the highest rise in antimicrobial-resistant infections was Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which had 3,085 cases last year – up 1,015 from five years ago.