Rise in number of infections resistant to antibiotics
THE number of infections that do not respond to antibiotics has risen 9 per cent in one year, official data show.
Data released yesterday by Public Health England showed that antibiotic-resistant infections rose to 60,788 last year, up from 55,812 in 2017.
Meanwhile the number of the most serious infections that make it into the bloodstream have risen by a third since 2014. This has prompted the Government body to call on the public to only take antibiotics when necessary, and that ignoring this can have “grave consequences for you and your family”.
Dr Susan Hopkins of Public Health England, said: “We want the public to join us in tackling antibiotic resistance by listening to your GP, pharmacist or nurse’s advice and only taking antibiotics when necessary.
“Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them is not a harmless act – it can have grave consequences for you and your family, now and in the future.
“It’s worrying that more infections are becoming resistant to these lifesaving medicines and we must act now to preserve antibiotics for when we really need them.”
Bacteria become resistant when they mutate and can no longer be combated effectively by antibiotics.
The overuse of antibiotics to treat common infections such as coughs, earaches and sore throats, has seen the number of antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections rise to 17,108 last year.
However, PHE praised the 17 per cent drop in antibiotic prescriptions issued in GP surgeries since 2014.
Antibiotics are essential to treat serious infections such as pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, with the World Health Organisation calling resistance to antibiotics “one of the biggest threats to global health”.
Infections that are resistant to antibiotics are harder to treat and are most serious when they are in the bloodstream.
If the bacteria make it into the bloodstream, they invade all parts of the body and are one of the most severe infections, meaning that people are more likely to have to receive specialist care.
Prof Chris Whitty, chief medical officer, said: “Antibiotics are one of the most powerful tools we have against infection. Resistance to these drugs therefore places much of modern medicine in jeopardy.
“A key component of our response to this problem is to ensure people use antibiotics appropriately.
“Antibiotic resistance is not just a matter for clinicians – the public also have a crucial role to play in helping to preserve these vital medicines.”