Antibiotic resistance rise continues

Posted 09/10/2014

Antibiotic prescriptions and cases of resistant bacteria in England have continued to soar despite dire warnings and campaigns, figures show. Public Health England found a 6% increase in prescriptions between 2010 and 2013 and warned that up to half may be ‘inappropriate’. It found a link between areas of high prescribing and resistant bacteria.

Experts said the report showed we were “squandering an unbelievably precious resource”.

Antibiotics have been one of the greatest breakthroughs in medicine and have saved millions of lives. But there is growing concern that overuse is making them less effective as bacteria develop resistance.

The chief medical officer, Prof Dame Sally Davies, has warned of apocalyptic scenarios including routine infections becoming deadly once again. There was also a 12% increase in the number of resistant E.coli infections in the blood.  

There is widespread variation across the country. Doctors in Merseyside are prescribing 30.4 defined daily doses per 1,000 people compared with just 22.8 in the Thames Valley region. Dr Susan Hopkins, from Public Health England, has suggested that giving prescriptions which could be used only if symptoms became worse in several days’ time, would reduce antibiotic use. She also called for doctors in hospitals to review whether patients needed to stay on antibiotics every day.

Julie Crossley, a medical injury lawyer at Ashtons Legal, comments “We are seeing an increasing number of cases relating to the inappropriate prescription of antibiotics or prescribing the wrong antibiotics altogether and infection control is a huge issue in UK hospitals. It is a huge concern that we are seeing an increase is resistant bacteria and something that needs to be addressed”.