Public Health England sounds warning against overuse of antibiotics

Public Health England (PHE) has unveiled the findings from its English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance report, suggesting that resistance is rising and antibiotics should be used more sparingly.

The report estimated that 5,000 people are dying each year in England due to antibiotic-resistant infections. Looking to the future, by 2050 it was estimated that more people will die from such infections than currently do from cancer.

Professor Paul Cosford, medical director at PHE, said: "Antibiotic resistance is not a distant threat, but is in fact one of the most dangerous global crises facing the modern world today. Taking antibiotics when you don't need them puts you and your family at risk of developing infections which in turn cannot be easily treated with antibiotics."

She continued, "Without urgent action from all of us, common infections, minor injuries and routine operations will become much riskier."

The action that PHE is recommending is for doctors to only prescribe antibiotics in situations where it is necessary, as well as calling for patients not to ask for antibiotics for common conditions where they are not required.

For example, PHE noted that coughs or bronchitis are usually fought off by the body’s immune system in around three weeks, without needing antibiotics. The use of antibiotics, with these conditions, would only shorten treatment by a few days.

Alongside this news was a press release by NICE that looked at the number of urinary tract infections compiled from PHE data. It found that, of the one million samples analysed by the report, 34% were resistant to an antibiotic called trimethoprim. This represented a rise of 5% over the previous year’s figures, pointing towards a worrying trend in rapid rise of antibiotic resistance.

Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive at NICE said: "Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest dangers to our health, which is why we must all work together to fight it. Making sure that we use these medicines properly, only when they are really needed, is vital. And our guidance is here to help healthcare professionals navigate these sometimes difficult decisions."