UK health warning after cases of deadly bacteria C. diff soar to 12 year high

Experts are warning about soaring new cases of a deadly bacteria which leaves patients scared with the ‘worst diarrhoea ever’.

Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, infections killed more than one in 10 cases in 2023/4 and costs the NHS tens of thousands of pounds.

Doctors are now also warning that cases and deaths could continue to rise across the UK if more is not done to reduce numbers to pre-pandemic levels.

The highly contagious bacterium is found in people’s bowel and can cause infection when there are other risk factors involved, such as old age, use of antibiotics, and hospital exposure.

Dr Kerrie Davies of the C. Diff Trust told Metro: ‘We cannot afford for more patients to be dying of this every year.

‘We can’t afford for more patients to be taken out of the economy every year because they can’t function due to this illness.

‘Patients with it tell us how scared they are. It is the worst diarrhoea that you have ever, ever had in your life.’

There were 19,239 cases of C. diff reported to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) from February 2024 to January 2025.

This is the highest since 2011/12, after the UK successfully brought down rates from a peak of over 50,000 cases in 2007.

Common symptoms include severe diarrhoea, a high temperature and stomach ache.

But people do die from the infection, with 2,164 patients dying from it in 2023/4 – a 12.9 per cent fatality rate.

Over 7,000 people died in 2007 when cases reached its high point.

C. diff bacteria usually live harmlessly in your bowel without infecting you along with lots of other types of bacteria.

However when the normal balance of bacteria in your gut is disrupted you can become infected – and very easily pass it on to others through spores in diarrhoea.

Rates of the potentially-fatal bacteria are now soaring across all age groups and sexes, although it predominantly affects the elderly.

Dr Davies, who has researched the bacteria for 20 years, warned healthcare professionals have ‘taken their eye off the ball’.

She added: ‘We were world-leading in bringing rates down to very low levels, but now there is a a breakdown in infection prevention.

‘There is a lack of focus since the Covid pandemic. We do not want levels to go back to where they were previously, where we had big out breaks affecting a lot of people.

‘It’s a significant number of people that do die from this. For those that don’t die, it causes huge impacts on their lives.’

One of the drivers of C. diff is the high chance of becoming re-infected once you have already had it once.

After becoming infected for the first time, there is a 25 per chance chance of getting it again.

After the second time, there is a 40 per cent chance it comes back, and a 60 per cent chance of a fourth infection if you get a third time.

The risk of death increases with each infection too.

Recurrent infections of C. diff are expensive to treat, and cost the NHS anywhere form £19,000 to £31,000 for each case, studies show.

This is because of isolation precautions, the use of isolation nurses and the cost of medications.

Studies also show that primary cases, the first time someone is infected, also cost the NHS upwards of £11,000 per person treated.

Even for people who recover, a C. diff infection can be a horrid experience because of the other, often long-lasting, symptoms.

Dr Davies explained: ‘Patients are scared, and they are frightened.

‘They tell us they’re really worried about leaving their houses because they don’t know if they’ll be near a toilet when they go out.

‘It can effect their ability to work. It takes them a long time to recover.

‘Even though they might be asymptomatic, their diarrhoea may have resolved, the frailty that it imposes on the patient, actually, that takes them a long time to recover from.

‘It is a difficult infection, it is complicated. You can carry this and not be affected. You won’t have an infection because your microbiome is intact.’

Combatting rising levels of C. diff needs to be a priority for the NHS, Dr Davies argues.

Campaigners say medical leaders and staff must test for it C. diff in suspected cases of infectious diarrhoea and isolate potentially infectious patients immediately.

They say emphasis also needs to be on active hygiene and cleaning measures and avoiding overprescribing antibiotics.

‘It is complicated. It isn’t an asy fix, and that’s why it needs everyone’s attention and focus,’ Dr Davies said.

She chairs the new charity the C Diff Trust, which works in the UK and Ireland to advocate for patient support and educate healthcare proffessionals.

Russell Hope, UKHSA Senior Scientist and Team Lead, told Metro that the NHS are working hard to tackle C. diff outbreaks.

He added: ‘UKHSA is working alongside partners, including NHS England, to investigate recent increases in C. difficile cases in hospitals and community settings.

‘It’s likely the current rise is caused by a combination of factors, including an ageing population with multiple illnesses. Work to identify the causes is ongoing and the appropriate public health action will be taken in response to our findings.

‘C. difficile is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).

‘It causes infectious diarrhoea, which can increase morbidity, mortality and hospital length of stay, particularly in the elderly and people whose immune systems are compromised.

‘Outbreaks of these infections can be managed through robust infection prevention and control processes and comprehensive surveillance of infection.’

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