24/03/2015

TB Cases Increase In NI

The number of people suffering with Tuberculosis has risen in Northern Ireland.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has released the latest figures which show that in 2014 in Northern Ireland there were 97 cases of TB reported, which is a significant increase from the previous year when 74 cases were reported.

Dr Michael Devine, Public Health Consultant at the PHA, said: "TB is an infection caused by bacteria and usually affects the lungs, but can affect other parts of the body. It is spread from person to person when someone who has TB of the lungs coughs or sneezes. Only some people with TB in the lungs are infectious to other people and even then, close and prolonged contact is needed to be at risk of being infected."

Dr Devine continued: "Although people may think of TB as a disease of the past, TB today remains an important public health problem throughout much of the world, causing the deaths of more than a million people each year, mostly in developing countries. With effective treatment, TB can be a curable disease and World TB Day is an opportunity to raise public awareness to stop transmission of TB by encouraging early diagnosis and treatment."

(CD/IT)

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