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Antibiotic resistant infection deaths increasing in England, despite lower NHS antibiotic use

BMJ 2025; 391 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r2397 (Published 13 November 2025) Cite this as: BMJ 2025;391:r2397
  1. Elisabeth Mahase
    Author affiliations

Antibiotic resistant infections are continuing to rise in England, with nearly 400 new cases reported each week last year.

This comes despite NHS antibiotic use being lower than before the pandemic. Inappropriate use of these key drugs is considered a key driver in the creation of “superbugs.”

A new report by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found that 2379 people with a resistant infection died last year, up from just over 2041 the year before, an increase of 338 deaths in a year.1

The UKHSA warned that life threatening cases …

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