Warning as antibiotic resistant infections rise among patients across England

There were almost 200 antibiotic resistant infections a day across England in 2019

Without antibiotics to treat common infections, routine surgeries could become life-threatening

The number of patients with an antibiotic resistant infection are rising across England with some infections rising by a third since 2015, Public Health England has warned.

In its latest annual report on the threat of antimicrobial resistance PHE revealed the number of resistant infections in England has risen to 178 a day in 2019.

The report, published at the start of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, shows there were an estimated 65,162 resistant infections in 2019, up from 61,946 in 2018.

Without antibiotics to treat common infections, routine surgeries and treatments in the NHS could become life-threatening including  caesarean sections, cancer treatments and hip replacements. No new antibiotics have been developed since the 1980s.

Public Health England has warned patients to follow the advice they are given by doctors and nurses and to only take antibiotics when needed to avoid bacteria developing resistance.

E coli remains the most common bloodstream infection, rising 14 per cent from 68.3 cases per 100,000 population in 2015 to 77.5 in 2019.

PHE said the number of bloodstream infections was a “significant concern” and was up a third, 32 per cent, since 2015. One in five people with a bacterial bloodstream infection is linked to antibiotic resistance.

These have increased from 13,671 in 2015 to over 18,000 in this year’s report.

Antibiotics treat bacterial infections such as pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis. They also help to protect against infection during surgeries. But they are sometimes used to treat coughs, earache and sore throats where they have little or no effect.

When antibiotics are overused, the bacteria they are meant to kill can adapt and develop resistance, making them ineffective when they are most needed.

The new report shows action on antibiotic consumption is working with a fall year-on-year. In 2019, total consumption fell to 17.9 defined daily doses per 1,000 people per day, compared to 19.4 in 2015.

While there has been a decrease in GP prescriptions hospitals and other community settings have seen increases in prescribing due to the rise in bloodstream infections and treatment being needed in hospital.

Isabel Oliver, director of National Infection Service at Public Health England, said: “We want the public to join us in tackling antimicrobial resistance – listen to your GP, pharmacist or nurse’s advice and only take antibiotics when necessary.

“It’s worrying that more infections are becoming resistant to these life-saving medicines. Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them can have grave consequences for you and your family’s health, now and in the future.”