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Public Health England (PHE)’s Keep Antibiotics Working campaign relaunched on November 5 to alert the public to the risks of antibiotic resistance and urge them to always take their doctor, pharmacist or nurse’s advice on antibiotics. The campaign also provides effective self care advice to help people and their families feel better if antibiotics are not a suitable treatment.

The threat of antibiotic resistance continues to grow and the latest English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR) report shows that there were an estimated 61,000 antibiotic resistant infections in England during 2018 – a nine per cent rise from 2017. In addition, antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections rose by a third (32 per cent) between 2014 and 2018.

The campaign includes TV, radio and digital advertising. A newly-released pharmacy campaign pack is available from the online PHE campaign resource centre. 

The campaign is aimed at all adults but with a particular focus on groups most likely to use antibiotics, such as women aged 20-45 who tend to have primary responsibility for family health; and men and women aged 50 and over, especially those with recurrent conditions and high levels of contact with GPs.