Sharp global rise in antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals, WHO finds

The WHO report raises serious concerns about gram-negative bacteria such as E coli. Photograph: Science Photo Library/Alamy

Hospitals across the world have recorded an alarming rise in common infections that are resistant to antibiotics, with doctors saying the number of deaths driven by drug resistance will increase sharply in the years ahead.

One in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections were resistant to antibiotic treatments in 2023, with more than 40% of antibiotics losing potency against common blood, gut, urinary tract and sexually-transmitted infections between 2018 and 2023, records show.