LONDON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- More than 400 cases of potentially life-threatening antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections were reported each week in England in 2025, according to official surveillance data released Thursday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said 21,129 cases of antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections, known as bacteraemia, were recorded last year, equivalent to an average of 406 cases per week and a 16.8-percent increase from 18,086 cases in 2019.
Bacteraemia occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and can lead to serious illness or death, particularly when infections are resistant to commonly used antibiotics.
Although infections continued to rise, the pace of increase slowed to 3.2 percent between 2024 and 2025, compared with 9.3 percent in the previous year, the agency said.
The report also recorded 2,318 deaths among patients with antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bloodstream infections in 2025, slightly below the 2,399 reported in 2024.
Significant health inequalities persisted. People living in England's most deprived areas had a 44.2-percent higher rate of resistant bloodstream infections than those in the least deprived areas. People aged over 74 accounted for nearly half of all cases.
Shona Arora, interim chief medical adviser at UKHSA, warned that antibiotic-resistant infections could increase the risk of serious illness and death, with older people and those in deprived communities particularly vulnerable.
She said that while efforts to promote responsible antibiotic use were showing positive results, reducing antibiotic consumption alone would not be enough to tackle the growing threat.
"We need to continue our work with partners globally to prevent infections from occurring in the first place, alongside exploring new treatment options," Arora said. ■