Rapid rise reported in TB cases in London

Figures released recently show that there has been a two-fold increase in the number of Tuberculosis sufferers in London.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease which though rife in Britain more than 50 years ago, was considered more or less to have been eradicated by the 1970s.

According to a British Thorasic Society study, there is a 40% higher incidence of the disease among the homeless and prisoners. Professor Andrew Peacock from the organisation said that an additional 40 lung specialists supported by 100 specialist nurses are needed to address the problem.

In response the Department of Health issued an action plan entitled 'Stopping Tuberculosis in England' last month. A report which accompanied the plan included alarming statistics, in particular - 6,638 people were newly diagnosed with TB in England in 2002, around seven out of every ten people with TB come from an ethnic minority group and nearly two thirds of TB patients were born abroad.

Tuberculosis is a curable infectious disease caused by the tubercle bacillus, known as mycobacterium tuberculosis, which grows slowly in the body after exposure and can remain dormant for several years. It affects the lungs and if left untreated can be fatal.

When TB was at its height in Britain during the 1940s and 50s it was widely thought that poverty and poor housing conditions were responsible for the spread of the disease.

Patients today are treated with antibiotics, usually a six month treatment which kills the bacteria.

Worldwide nearly two million people die of TB each year, nearly a third of the world's population is infected, and according to the World Health Organisation is the biggest known killer of women.

(mmcg/sp)