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07/10/2004
New plan to eradicate TB in Britain unveiled
New measures to tackle and eliminate tuberculosis in Britain have been announced today by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson.
The plan, 'Stopping Tuberculosis in England', envisions tackling the disease – which kills round 350 people in England each year – by increasing the awareness of the disease amongst health professional and the public, establishing high-quality surveillance to monitor the disease in high risk groups, identifying the infection early, and ensuring excellence in clinical care for patients with TB.
Sir Liam Donaldson said: "In our battle against tuberculosis, the disease has regained the upper hand. We need to get back to public health basics. Identifying the high-risk groups early, ensuring effective treatment for them and using modern laboratory techniques to track the disease are all vital control measures. Experience elsewhere has shown that the march of TB can be halted."
TB in England has increased by 25% over the last 10 years – with over 6,000 people newly diagnosed in England in 2002. However, it is not the EU leader – Germany, Portugal, Spain and Ireland have higher TB infection rates.
Most at risk of contracting TB are people who have lived or worked in parts of the world where TB is common.
If left untreated, a person with infectious TB of the lungs infects, on average, 10-15 people a year.
(gmcg/mb)
The plan, 'Stopping Tuberculosis in England', envisions tackling the disease – which kills round 350 people in England each year – by increasing the awareness of the disease amongst health professional and the public, establishing high-quality surveillance to monitor the disease in high risk groups, identifying the infection early, and ensuring excellence in clinical care for patients with TB.
Sir Liam Donaldson said: "In our battle against tuberculosis, the disease has regained the upper hand. We need to get back to public health basics. Identifying the high-risk groups early, ensuring effective treatment for them and using modern laboratory techniques to track the disease are all vital control measures. Experience elsewhere has shown that the march of TB can be halted."
TB in England has increased by 25% over the last 10 years – with over 6,000 people newly diagnosed in England in 2002. However, it is not the EU leader – Germany, Portugal, Spain and Ireland have higher TB infection rates.
Most at risk of contracting TB are people who have lived or worked in parts of the world where TB is common.
If left untreated, a person with infectious TB of the lungs infects, on average, 10-15 people a year.
(gmcg/mb)
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