The hidden pandemic of antibiotic resistance

At the end of 2021, health officials warned of a “hidden pandemic” of antibiotic-resistant infections. Data had showed that the recorded total number of bloodstream infections fell in 2020, with less social mixing, enhanced hand hygiene and more care and consultations delivered remotely the likely reasons for the decline. But the actual proportion of infections grew; in the UK, antibiotic-resistant infections are now at a higher level than they were six years ago.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been a major area of concern for some time. The World Health Organisation (WHO) called it a global threat that will lead to more serious and prolonged illness, also increased hospital admissions putting a huge strain on health systems and economies. In 2015, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidelines for antimicrobial stewardship, and these have perhaps contributed to the year-on-year decrease in antibiotic prescribing in the UK. Notable in the 2020 data, however, was an increase in antibiotic prescribing by dentists during the pandemic. It should also be noted that in many countries outside the UK, antibiotics are freely available to buy without a prescription – to echo the WHO, this is a worldwide problem.