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The UK recorded an estimated 66,730 serious antibiotic-resistant infections in 2023, surpassing the pre-pandemic figure of 62,314 in 2019, a new report from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has revealed. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are less likely to respond to treatment and can cause serious complications, including bloodstream infections, sepsis and hospitalisation. The national surveillance data published by the UKHSA showed that E. coli - a common cause of urinary tract infections, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever, accounted for 65 per cent of antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections in the last five years. The English Surveillance of Antibiotic Prescribing and Utilisation Report (ESPAUR) highlighted a stark disparity in infection rates. People in the most deprived communities were 42.6 per cent more likely to experience an antibiotic-resistant infection in 2023 compared to those in the least deprived areas, a significant rise from 29.4 per cent in 2019. Overall, resistant infection rates in the most deprived areas of England increased by 9.5 per cent between 2019 and 2023.

A total of 7,599 whooping cough cases have been recorded in England from January to May 2024, according to new data released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). In January 2024, there were 555 cases, followed by 920 in February, 1,427 in March, 2,106 in April, and 2,591 in May. While the majority of cases (over 53 per cent) occurred in individuals aged 15 years or older, who typically experience milder symptoms, a significant number (262) were reported in babies under 3 months old, who are at the highest risk of severe complications and death from whooping cough. Since the outbreak began in November last year, there have been nine infant deaths (one in December 2023 and eight between January and May 2024). Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a bacterial infection affecting the lungs. This cyclical disease peaks every 3 to 5 years, with the last increase seen in 2016.