NHS must take elderly infections much more seriously, Chris Whitty warns

Illnesses like pneumonia and flu need to be taken much more seriously in older people, England’s chief medical officer has warned.

Sir Chris Whitty said some doctors don’t realize an infection can significantly increase the risk of a stroke or heart attack.

NHS data shows that adults over 70 are much more likely to catch an infection and become seriously ill or die from an infection.

While the health system has become “extremely effective” in preventing disease in young people, the situation for older people is “much more uncertain”, says Sir Chris.

England’s most senior doctor, best known for his podium appearances during the Covid pandemic, was speaking at the launch of his annual health report.

He said older people were often “underserved” when it came to NHS care and medical research, adding that there should be a lower threshold for prescribing antibiotics than for younger adults.

He suggested that the medical community had been fatalistic about infections in older people in the past, adding that “people thought it was just one of those things that happens in older people – actually there’s a lot we can do about it.”

The chief medical officer said there was now “clear evidence” that illnesses such as pneumonia, flu or a urinary tract infection can increase the risk of stroke “particularly in the first two weeks, but this can extend for up to a year afterwards”.

Research also suggests that older patients are more likely to suffer a heart attack following an infection, although these findings are less conclusive.

“How important is all this? Well, if we could reduce infections, we would reduce strokes and heart attacks,” he added.

He said the public could do more to protect themselves against winter bugs with “common sense” measures such as washing their hands, being careful when preparing meals, staying home when sick and accepting free vaccinations offered by the NHS.

Professor Whitty also warned that although the UK had one of the highest rates of childhood vaccination in the world, rates had “fallen” over the past decade.

The fall was particularly pronounced in London, while in other parts of England rates stabilized or showed a more gradual decline.

“Some people keen to spread misinformation like to give the impression that the UK is becoming a vaccine-skeptical nation,” he said. “That’s absolutely not true.”

He suggested the downward trend was mainly due to access to vaccines and the convenience of making appointments, rather than “a major change in people’s desire to get vaccinated”.

Asked about the situation in the United States, where Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly expressed concerns about the safety of vaccines, he said it was “perfectly legitimate” for people to ask questions about vaccines.

But he added that there was a risk that some people in the UK would look at what is happening in other countries and think “If they are worried, then shouldn’t we be worried?”

“I think the general population is actually very sensitive about this, provided we’re upfront with them about the risks and benefits and they understand the issues,” he said.

“The number of people in the UK who are actually anti-vaccine in the classical sense is very small,” he added.