Whitty: We must protect elderly from infections

Bugs raise risk of strokes, dementia and death

- BY MARTIN BAGOT Health Editor

BACTERIAL infections in old age may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and dementia, Sir Chris Whitty has warned.

England's Chief Medical Officer has released a landmark report calling for the NHS to take infections in the elderly more seriously.

He says evidence suggests they are at higher risk of heart attack, stroke and possibly even dementia after a serious infection.

Professor Whitty told a media briefing that while antibiotics should be rationed in the younger population - to prevent bugs developing resistance - they should be considered earlier for the elderly.