Brits warned against sharing towels and razors after spike in MRSA superbug infections outside of hospitals
Data shows a total of 175 people were infected with the superbug outside of hospitals between January and March this year, up 47 per cent from the same period in 2019.
Those catching the infection also appear to be getting younger, with almost a quarter of patients recorded as under 45 in 2023-24 compared to just one in 10 in 2007-08.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said they are monitoring infection rates closely to understand the underlying drivers.
But people are being urged to practice good general hygiene, including regular handwashing and not sharing items like towels and razors.
It follows warnings from the US over MRSA being spread in gyms and changing rooms this summer.
Officials from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said: 'MRSA spreads fast in athletic facilities, locker rooms, gyms and health clubs because of shared equipment and skin-to-skin contact.'
MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacteria that lives harmlessly on the skin or in the nose.
However, it can cause serious infections if it gets into the body.
If it spreads to your blood or lungs, symptoms can include chills, difficulty breathing, dizziness and confusion.
Rates of the superbug have been steadily increasing in the last decade following a large fall in cases between 2008 and 2012.
The UK data does not record where patients contracted the bug outside hospitals.
Colin Brown, a director of antimicrobial assistance and healthcare-related infections at the UKSHA, told The Times: 'The overall risk of MRSA bloodstream infections to the public in hospital and community settings remains low [and] substantially below the last peak observed in the early 2000s.
'It is too early to conclude whether the current rise represents a sustained shift; however, the trend is being monitored closely through surveillance and analysis to better understand the underlying drivers.
'This will include further analysis of patient characteristics, such as residential type.
'Outbreaks of these infections in community settings can be managed through maintaining good general hygiene, including regular handwashing and not sharing items such as towels and razors.'
Andrew Edwards, associate professor of molecular biology at Imperial College London, said those who catch MRSA in hospital tended to be older or already ill.
However, younger patients who catch it outside of hospitals are often in sports teams or gym users, which raises 'a few red flags'.
'We need to keep a very close eye on whether we are seeing a lot more community transition of MRSA between otherwise healthy people … and watch to see whether this is a blip in the numbers or the beginning of a worrying new trend,' he said.
He urged gym users to 'check yourself carefully and be aware you might have abrasions that are not immediately obvious - if you do have any, cover those and just be aware.'
WHAT IS MRSA?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to several widely-used antibiotics, which makes it particularly hard to treat.
Catching the infection early could prevent it spreading and infecting others.
Approximately 30 per cent of people carry the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria even in their nose, armpits, groin or buttocks without realising it.
This can invade the body's bloodstream and release poisonous toxins that kill up to one-fifth of infected patients.
MRSA is most commonly associated with hospitals.
As well as being highly drug resistant, current screening methods are fairly inaccurate, which allows the infection to spread as a patient moves around both within and outside hospitals.
Even when the infection is successfully treated, it doubles the average length of a patient's hospital stay, as well as increasing healthcare costs.
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What people don't realise about anxiety disorders, says Prof Oliver Robinson of University College, London, is just how commonplace they are. One in four of us experience a clinically significant level of anxiety at some point in our lives, and at any given time, 'around 20 to 25 per cent of the population report being extremely worried,' Prof Robinson says. As a mental health condition, anxiety is also unique in that 'we all know what it feels like,' says Prof Robinson. While there's a big difference between feeling down at times and being depressed, anxiety is the body's healthy response to danger or threats. People with anxiety disorders find that those feelings fire at the wrong time, because of things that don't pose danger at all – social situations, big deadlines, or even a spider in the corner of the room. Most of us know how that feels, but when it happens consistently, it can get in the way of work, socialising, family time, and a generally healthy life. 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'This leads some people to spend a lot of time alone,' Prof Robinson points out. Aside from the health-worsening effects of social isolation, this actually worsens social anxiety itself in the long run. 'When you don't have any real-life examples to rely on, your worst fears become confirmed, in a way, which makes it much harder to then face your fears and go to that party or lunch with friends,' says Prof Robinson. Time alone without stimulation can also cause rumination, obsessive patterns of negative thinking that are a huge driver of both anxiety and depression. What to do 'Try not to avoid doing the thing that's bothering you, even if it's just once in every 10 times that the fear comes up,' Prof Robinson says. 'Evidence shows that facing your fears is the best way to stop being scared of them, as you recognise and gradually re-learn that there is no real danger.' Easing yourself in gradually, for example by meeting a trusted friend for a coffee before going to an exercise class full of strangers, can be helpful, as this gradually increases your exposure to the source of your fear. This goes for any kind of anxiety. 'Avoiding the source of your fear entirely will only make things worse.' Winding down with a glass of wine Alcohol makes you relax – it's a fact as true as the sky is blue. When you have a drink, it reduces your inhibitions and prompts the release of dopamine, the feel-good chemical in your brain. These effects are short-lived, however, and relying on them to soothe anxiety can come with the ugly side-effect of knocking the brain's hormonal balance out of whack, leading to worsened anxiety the next day (otherwise known as ' hangxiety '). Alcohol also interrupts sleep and worsens sleep quality, even if having a nightcap can help you to nod off. Some research suggests that wine and prosecco may be worse for anxiety than some other drinks. A low-sugar option like a hard seltzer may prove to be easier to tolerate. 'Alcohol can help people in social situations, if it's used in a controlled way,' says Prof Robinson – 'only you can know if it's really helping or causing more problems than it is helping with'. What to do Try a different way to wind down in the evenings. Research suggests that a nighttime drink can be calming in its ritual and 'treat' feeling as much as in its actual psychoactive effects. Having a hot (caffeine-free) drink can be just as soothing and will not disrupt your sleep. This makes it easier to enjoy the odd drink in a social setting without feeling a knock-on effect on your anxiety. Setting your alarm too early Sleep is the bedrock of good health, and a lack of it worsens stress like nothing else. No wonder, then, that even healthy adults who are underslept report feeling more anxious and low in the daytime. Anxiety can both cause and be worsened by poor sleep. 'They're certainly hard to tease apart, as being anxious can leave you tossing and turning,' Prof Robinson points out. In the long term, sleep deprivation impairs the function of the parts of your brain that regulate emotion, while upping activity in the amygdala, the part of your brain in charge of your fear response. An inability to sleep is anxiety-provoking in itself. What to do Give yourself the opportunity to get enough sleep, says Prof Robinson. Ideally this is by going to bed at least eight hours before your alarm is set to go off in the morning. If you're used to tossing and turning, going to bed early might be the last thing you want to do, 'but if you're up for 20 hours a day then there's no chance that you can get the rest you need'. There are tried and tested tricks to quiet racing thoughts before bed, such as box breathing, and building a bedtime routine can help you drift off to sleep more easily too. It can also be helpful to distance yourself from the causes of your anxiety before bed. If you're anxious about work, don't check your emails while you're tucked in, or else 'your behaviour might prompt worrying thoughts that wouldn't have come up otherwise,' Prof Robinson says. Drinking too much caffeine On that note, you might well be in the habit of topping up your poor sleep with copious amounts of tea or coffee. This might help keep you alert, but that's because caffeine is a stimulant, and it prompts the release of cortisol, the 'fight-or-flight' hormone. It causes your body as well as your brain to 'wake up', which is why it gives some people jitters and heart palpitations as well as more energy. The problem here is that 'the relationship between your body and your mind works in both directions when it comes to anxiety,' says Prof Robinson. Though even scientists 'don't fully understand the link', caffeine is known to prompt or worsen symptoms of anxiety, and a number of studies suggest that caffeine consumption can have a detrimental impact on anxiety and also increase the risk of its incidence in the long term. Fizzy drinks may contain sugar or sweeteners as well as all the caffeine in a standard cup of coffee or more, wreaking further havoc on your sleep. What to do Avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach. Eating something before you have your first mug of the day can slow the body's absorption of caffeine, and release of cortisol with it, reducing the chance that you will feel it enough to worsen your anxiety in the first place. Cutting out coffee 'isn't one of those panaceas where it will fix your anxiety with no other work,' says Prof Robinson, but if you suffer from anxiety then it is important to experiment with the amount of coffee you drink 'to find out what works for you'. Fizzy drinks are best replaced with healthy and caffeine-free alternatives like flavoured sparkling waters, or herbal tea. Treating yourself with sugary food to boost your mood Yet it's easy to rely on sweet treats or a packet of crisps to quell anxiety. The endorphins released when you eat something you enjoy can balance out the anxiety in your brain and body, soothing your nervous feelings. This can lead to emotional overeating or, in the worst cases, food addiction. Much of the advice given for managing anxiety 'is the advice people are given to live a healthy life in general,' says Prof Robinson. Like sleeping well, eating well is a core part of that. Plenty of studies show that a diet high in ultra-processed food is linked to increased risk of, and in fact worsened, anxiety. A healthier diet meanwhile is linked to improved symptoms of anxiety and a reduced risk of experiencing it overall. What to do Try to stick to a Mediterranean diet. 'There isn't much good evidence for whether specific foods can improve or worsen anxiety,' Prof Robinson says, but we do know that the Mediterranean diet – which is based on whole foods, with lots of healthy fats, nuts and lean proteins – supports overall health as well as brain and hormonal health in the long term. Just as with alcohol, cutting out the foods you rely on to give yourself a mood boost may not prove helpful in the long run. It's all about keeping them to an occasional treat, Prof Robinson says. Not moving enough A number of studies have linked sedentary lifestyles to increased risk of anxiety. Intentional exercise, meanwhile, releases feel-good hormones and can reduce stress. Adults who engage in regular exercise experience fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, other research has found. Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects, while also regulating the body's stress response system. What to do instead Try to get in the 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise recommended each week by the NHS. That could mean walking, jogging, swimming or taking part in an aerobics class. 'We don't know exactly why exercise works to help with anxiety in the long term, but it may have something to do with reducing inflammation,' says Prof Robinson. The SSRI drugs prescribed for anxiety also reduce inflammation, he points out. Other forms of exercise like yoga, which are more meditative, have been linked to reduced levels of anxiety when practised regularly, and may also be worth trying. 'The practical accomplishment of picking up something new may also boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem, which can be important in the process of overcoming anxiety,' says Prof Robinson. FAQs Does anxiety worsen with age? 'Normal anxiety is pretty consistent, but clinical anxiety disorders tend to be low in childhood, reach a peak in adulthood and then decline in old age,' says Prof Robinson. Some research suggests that older adults are better at regulating their emotions. This can be attributed to a variety of factors, such as fewer stressors and different life perspectives. Can anxiety ever go away? Sometimes 'anxiety will go away on its own,' or reduce to a subclincial level over time, says Prof Robinson. However, it is always best to seek treatment if you believe that you may have an anxiety disorder. 'Around two thirds to three quarters of people with an anxiety disorder are able to make a recovery that means they no longer reach a clinical threshold,' he says. Why does anxiety get worse at night? 'Not everyone's anxiety gets worse at night, but there are a number of possible reasons it might,' says Prof Robinson. 'You may have learnt to associate night-time or darkness with threats,' he says, and 'there are also less distractions, so when you are lying in bed you start ruminating and worrying about bad things that might happen. You may also start to worry about not getting enough sleep which compounds the other problems, leading to a negative spiral.' How to manage anxiety By Prof Robinson Ultimately, everyone's anxiety is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all way to approach it. If it is getting in the way of you living your life, the best thing you can do is contact your GP who can get you into suitable treatments. The solutions depend on the problem – if you are avoiding things that aren't actually that harmful, like social situations, then setting yourself the task of being brave and going to more social situations can help. If you are lying in bed worrying about the state of the world because you read your phone just before bed, you can set yourself a target of not looking at your phone last thing at night before bed. These are opposite actions – approaching social situations or avoiding negative information before bed – and if you get them the wrong way around, by avoiding social situations and looking at your phone right before bed, you may make your symptoms worse. This is why it is often helpful to get professional help. Anxiety is very common and psychologists are very used to tailoring treatments to your specific circumstances. You may also benefit from medication, but this is only available on prescription and so you will have to see your GP to get it.
