The number of infections that do not respond to antibiotics has risen 9 percent in one year, according to a new report. Data released today 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 which 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’s health, now and in the future. “It’s worrying that more infections are becoming resistant to these life-saving medicines and we must act now to preserve antibiotics for when we really need them.”
