Public Health England (PHE) says up to a fifth of antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary as many illnesses get better on their own.

Overusing the drugs is making infections harder to treat by creating drug-resistant superbugs.

PHE says patients have “a part to play” in stopping the rise of infections.

It is estimated:

• 5,000 people die in England each year as a result of drug-resistant infections
• Four in 10 cases of bloodstream E. coli infections now cannot be treated with first-choice antibiotics
• By 2050, drug-resistant infections around the world are expected to kill more people than currently die from cancer

Antibiotics are vital in cases of sepsis, pneumonia, bacterial meningitis and other severe infections.

But PHE says antibiotics are not essential for every illness.

Coughs or bronchitis can take up to three weeks to clear on their own, but antibiotics reduce that by only one to two days, it says.

Prof Paul Cosford, medical director at PHE, told the BBC: “We don’t often need antibiotics for common conditions.

“The majority of us will get infections from time to time and will recover because of our own immunity.”

He said patients should not go to their doctor “expecting an antibiotic”.

Instead, for infections that our body can handle, the advice is to:

• have plenty of rest
• use pain relief such as paracetamol
• drink plenty of fluids

Prof Cosford said: “A doctor will be able to tell you when an antibiotic is really necessary.

“The fact is if you take an antibiotic when you don’t need it then you’re more likely to have an infection that the antibiotics don’t work for over the coming months.”

The Keep Antibiotics Working campaign will also see patients handed leaflets explaining how long it normally takes to recover and the warning signs of serious illness.

Apocalypse

Bacteria are incredibly cunning – once you start attacking them with antibiotics, they find ways of surviving. People have died from bugs resistant to all antibiotics.

England’s chief medical officer, Prof Dame Sally Davies, has already warned of a “post-antibiotic apocalypse”.

If the drugs fail, then not only do infections become harder to treat, but common medical procedures such as caesarean sections and cancer treatments could become too risky.

The most serious drug-resistant infections are sent to PHE’s laboratories at Colindale, north London, for analysis.

Prof Neil Woodford, the site’s head of antimicrobial resistance, said the most potent antibiotics, like carbapenems, were failing more often.

He told the BBC: “If we go back to 2005/07, we were seeing these bacteria in maybe two to four cases per year.

“Last year we confirmed these resistant bacteria in over 2,000 cases.”

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Source: BBC

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The ad – featuring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul – has the actor say “Xbox On” near its start.

The instruction appears to trigger the machine’s Kinect voice/motion sensor, activating the console.

A spokesman for the firm said it had no comment at this time, but noted that previous ads had also featured voice commands.

Many people have posted comments about the problem on social media sites.

“Aaron Paul just turned my Xbox One via the Xbox advert. (Which triggered the IR [infrared] blaster to switch my TV off..)” tweeted Qassim Farid, a UK-based tech blogger.

Chesterfield-based Tom Neal wrote: “@Xbox your new TV advert is annoying the hell outta me. Aaron Paul keeps turning my console on… #stooooop”

The effect has also been noted on news discussion site Reddit’s Xbox section, with one commentator writing: “Damn commercial keeps turning on my xbox! Lol”

The post reflects the attitude of many console owners who have posted about the matter who appear more bemused than angered by the glitch.

This is not the first time such an effect has been reported.

In November Xbox One owner Tom Kimberl posted a video to YouTubeshowing that an internet ad that featured the command “Xbox go to Dead Rising 3” launched the game on his system.

Users affected by the issue do have the ability to turn off the Kinect sensor, which prevents the console responding to voice commands.

The issue has parallels with an effect played for laughs in the TV series 30 Rock where a voice-controlled television went haywire when on-screen characters mentioned its trigger words.

Unbundled Kinect

The problem has arisen in the same week that Microsoft began selling a cheaper version of the Xbox One without the Kinect.

It said it made the move – timed to coincide with the E3 video games expo – following feedback from gamers who did not want to pay extra for the accessory.

The decision allows the machine to retail at the same price as Sony’s PlayStation 4.

Microsoft’s press event at the Los Angeles show was notable for hardly featuring the Kinect.

Only a dancing game, a Disney motion-controlled music rhythm title, and an indie game called Fru – which allows players to control a character by making body shapes – appeared to take advantage of the feature.

However, Microsoft did announce outside the show that a software update would soon allow developers access to more graphics power when the Kinect was not in use. This may help address complaints that several cross-platform games offer higher resolutions and frame rates on the PS4 than their Xbox equivalents.

However, the new ad signals that the US firm intends to keep promoting the Kinect as a feature that distinguishes its machine from its Japanese rival’s, even if the price quoted at its end is for the standalone machine.

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