Tuberculosis on the rise in the UK

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDNov 5 2010

According to health authorities, tuberculosis (TB) – a severe lung infection that has killed millions in the past, is resurfacing again in the UK. Last year the number of cases reached more than 9,000, the highest number for nearly 30 years. The numbers were revealed by the Health Protection Agency in its annual report on tuberculosis this Thursday.

Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar, head of TB surveillance at the agency said, “We are concerned to see cases of TB at their highest levels since the 1970s…The key to reducing levels of TB is early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Efforts to improve early diagnosis and control the spread of this infection must remain a priority and be increased in areas where prevalence is high.”

Drug resistant and multi-drug resistant cases of infection represent a small proportion of TB cases overall, but resistant cases often need prolonged treatment and are difficult to cure. Alarmingly the number of new drug-resistant TB cases has nearly doubled in the past 10 years, from 206 cases in 2000 to 389 last year, according to the report. In 2000, there were 28 multi-drug resistant cases of TB, which rose to 58 cases in 2009. Normally, TB is treated with antibiotics for six months, but multi-drug resistant strains require treatment for 18 months or longer.

Cases of TB occur more often in London than anywhere else (3,440 cases last year), followed by the West Midlands (1,018). These areas have higher numbers of people from ethnic minorities, who may have come from countries where the disease is endemic. About a third of the world’s population has latent TB, which can remain undetected and harmless for years. The homeless and people with HIV, those with weak immune system are also susceptible. The disease spreads through close contact and is therefore more is contagious in urban areas where people live closer to each other.

Awareness and adequate detection may be the key and campaigns are being undertaken to impart knowledge about the disease.