I read with interest this week that hospitals are being advised not to over-dilute the cleaning materials they use.  The concern is that this could help bacteria develop a resistance to antibiotics.

 

What has given rise to the alert is a recent study in America.  This concluded that once bacteria survive contact with disinfectants – and they are more likely to survive if the disinfectant is diluted – they can evolve new defences.   In effect, they learn to pump the antibiotic out of their system.

 

My interest in hospital patients stems from the fact that we run A Friend in Need, a website sending gifts to people in hospital on behalf of friends and family who can’t visit the patient in person.

 

Let us hope that hospital follow the new guidelines and that, just as they have reduced the number of MRSA cases, they will successfully tackle the rise of antibiotic resistance.