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According to the Chief Medical Officer of England, we will return to the dark era of life-threatening surgery unless we preserve the anti-infective powers of antibiotics.
Lady Sally Davies made her remarks when Public Health England (PHE) released a report showing that 3 million common surgical procedures, including cesarean and hip replacements, could be dangerous in a future where infections nosocomiales have become resistant to the antibiotics we have. to treat them.
According to him, blood infections, caused by a bacterium that enters the body through an injury and that can be fatal, increased by 35% between 2013 and 2017. However, progress has been made in reducing the use total of antibiotics, which fell by 6.1% between 2014 and 2017 in England.
But PHE is still very worried. The risk of infection in some antibiotic-free surgeries is important. Antibiotics are administered to one out of three patients, either before they arrive in the operating theater or after convalescence. PHE claims that without antibiotics, infections resulting from a surgical procedure could double, potentially putting lives at risk.
Antibiotics have long lost their anti-insect power for a variety of reasons, including overuse. According to the report, they are still given to patients suffering from coughs, earaches and sore throats, which could be viral infections that are not susceptible to antibiotics and would improve anyway. According to PHE, a survey conducted in 2017 reveals that 38% of people are still waiting for an antibiotic from a doctor's office, an NHS walk-in clinic, or a medical service outside of the hospital. normal hours when they occur in case of cough, flu or infection of the throat, ears, sinuses or chest. .
A new PHE campaign will encourage people to accept the advice of their doctor, nurse or other caregiver about when they will need antibiotics.
"Antibiotics are an essential part of modern medicine because they protect people from infections when they are at their maximum vulnerability," said Professor Paul Cosford, Medical Director of PHE.
"It is worrisome that, in the not-too-distant future, more cancer patients, mothers who have had a cesarean and patients who have had other surgery have experienced life-threatening situations if antibiotics are not available. could not prevent infections.
"We need to preserve antibiotics when we really need them and we invite the public to join us to fight against antibiotic resistance by listening to the advice of your doctor, pharmacist or nurse and taking antibiotics only when it is necessary. Taking antibiotics on a case-by-case basis may seem like a harmless act, but it can have serious consequences for the health of your family and your family in the future. "
Davies said the evidence is clear "that without quick action to reduce infections, we risk putting drugs back in the dark – at an age where routine procedures we take for granted could become too dangerous for that treatable conditions become reality – life threatening.
"The UK has made great efforts in recent years to reduce antibiotic prescription rates; However, there is still a real need to preserve the drugs we have available so that they remain effective for those who really need them and to prevent infections from developing.
"It's not just a problem for doctors and nurses; the public has a huge role to play. Today's data and the launch of the "Keep Antibiotics Working" national campaign should be an additional wake-up call for all of us. "
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