Health department accused of 'wall of silence' over TB fears

The health department has been accused of meeting concerns over a rise in tuberculosis cases with a "wall of silence".

The British Thoracic Society (BTS), the British Lung Foundation (BLF) and TB Alert claimed today that "lives are being put at risk by the government’s failure to publish the long-promised TB Action Plan".

According to the World Health Organisation, England and Wales are the only EU countries registering an increase in tuberculosis over the past 10 years. This is the 15th consecutive year that the incidence of tuberculosis has risen, the BTS said, citing Health Protection Agency figures.

A BTS survey has concluded that the number of people afflicted by the disease in England and Wales rose from 5,798 in 1992, to 6,891 in 2002. Further research by the society indicated that there were "inadequate numbers of specialist nurses" in the UK’s tuberculosis hotspots – a situation which "could contribute to a further rise in cases of the disease if not addressed".

The need for urgent action on tuberculosis was called for two-and-a-half-years ago by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson. The plan is expected to set out the framework of actions to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB. The health department has said that it anticipates publishing the plan in the autumn.

Professor Peter Ormerod, member of the BTS joint TB committee, said that when it comes to the disease, "John Reid is all talk and no action".

“It is amazing that on one hand the government makes grandiose statements about building a modern, hi-tech NHS, but when it comes to deciding how we are going to manage a Victorian disease like TB we appear to be still living in the dark ages," he said.

Dr John Moore-Gillon, President of the British Lung Foundation, warned that the longer the health department delayed publishing an action plan, the worse problem was becoming.

"Yet again sufferers of lung conditions like TB are being disadvantaged because resources are being diverted to those disease areas that have a national service framework and overt targets,” he added.

(gmcg)