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

The NHS must take illnesses such as pneumonia and flu in older people more seriously, England's chief medical officer has warned.

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

His comments come like The number of flu patients in England's hospitals has reached a record level as the country faces an unprecedented flu season.

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

While the health system is “extremely good” at preventing illness among young people, the situation is “much better” for older people, Sir Chris said.

England's most senior doctor, best known for taking to the podium 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 both NHS care and medical research, adding that there should be a lower threshold for prescribing antibiotics than for younger people.

He suggested that in the past the medical community had been fatalistic about infections in older people, adding that “people assumed it was just one of those things that happens in old age – in fact 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, “especially in the first two weeks, but it can extend into a year later.”

Research also suggests that older patients are more likely to have a heart attack after an infection, although this is less conclusive.

“What is the importance of all this? Well, if we could reduce the number of infections, we would reduce the number of strokes and heart attacks,” he added.

He said the public could do more to protect themselves from winter bugs through “common sense” measures such as washing hands, being careful when preparing food, staying at home when sick and taking free vaccines offered by the NHS.

Prof Whitty also warned that while the UK has one of the highest rates of childhood vaccine uptake in the world, rates have been “declining” over the past decade.

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

“Some people who are keen to spread misinformation like to create the impression that the UK is becoming a vaccine-sceptic country,” he said. “This is absolutely not true.”

He suggested the downward trend is largely due to access to vaccines and the practicality of making appointments rather than “any major changes in people's willingness to get vaccinated.”

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

But he said there was a risk that some people in the UK would look at what was happening in other countries and think: “If they're worried, shouldn't we be worried?”

“I think the general population is very reasonable about this, as long as we are transparent with them about the risks and benefits and they understand the issues,” he said.

“The number of people in the UK who are truly anti-vaxxers in the classic sense of the word is very small,” he added.