Warning as cases of deadly medieval disease that causes victims to cough up blood surges 11% in UK
TUBERCULOSIS is resurging in England, with health officials warning against confusing its symptoms with those of Covid or flu.
Cases of the so-called 'medieval disease' jumped by more than 11 per cent last year, rising from 4380 in 2022 to 4855 in 2023, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Health officials are now calling the highly infectious bug a "serious public health issue in England".
London, often dubbed the 'tuberculosis capital of Western Europe' recorded the highest infection rates in the UK, with 18.7 cases per 100,000 people, according to the released today.
It found tuberculosis (TB) cases increased across both UK-born and non-UK-born populations in 2023.
However, 80 per cent of all cases occurred in individuals born outside the UK, with the majority coming from countries where TB is more prevalent, such as India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Romania.
Read more on TB
Anyone with a persistent cough and fever, particularly those in groups at a higher risk of catching TB, is being urged not to dismiss their symptoms.
Dr Esther Robinson, head of the TB unit at UKHSA, said: “Not every persistent cough, along with a fever, is caused by flu or Covid.
"A cough that usually has mucus and lasts longer than three weeks can be caused by a range of other issues, including TB.
"Please speak to your GP if you think you could be at risk.”
Most read in Health
Worldwide, 10.8 million people were diagnosed with TB in 2023 - the highest figure on record.
In the same year, it killed 1.25million people, making it the world's most deadly infectious disease, ahead of Covid and HIV.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has previously attributed this spike to disruptions in diagnosis and treatment during Covid lockdowns.
Meanwhile, a separate report revealed a three per cent rise in drug-resistant TB cases between 2020 and 2021.
In July 2022, Brits were warned to watch for symptoms of the deadly disease following an outbreak at a Welsh university.
Three students tested positive for tuberculosis, eight months after close contact with someone who had died from the infection.
In 2020, Carrianne Franks, a 'healthy' 30-year-old nurse, contracted TB while volunteering on an NHS ward and died.
She wasn't told she'd been exposed to TB for months, delaying her diagnosis and contributing to her death, a damning report found.
TB, once known as consumption, is a bacterial infection that primarily targets the lungs.
It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or spits.
When to see a GP
If you're experiencing any of the following, it's time to see a GP:
- You've had a cough for more than 3 weeks
- You're feeling tired or exhausted and you're not sure why
- You have a high temperature or night sweats that do not go away
- You often do not feel hungry
- You keep losing weight without changing your diet or exercise routine
- You've spent a lot of time with someone who has tuberculosis (TB) and has symptoms (for example, you live with someone who has it)
Key symptoms include:
- A persistent cough that lasts more than three weeks and usually brings up phlegm, which may be bloody
- Weight loss
- Night sweats
- High temperature (fever)
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- New swellings that haven’t gone away after a few weeks
While TB can be life-threatening, it is usually treatable with antibiotics.
In severe cases, the infection can spread to other parts of the body, such as the brain, heart, abdomen, glands, bones, and nervous system.
Certain groups face a higher risk of contracting TB, including those:
- In close contact with infected individuals
- Travelling to areas with high TB rates
- Experiencing homelessness
- Addicted to drugs
- Living with weakened immune systems
- In prison
A vaccine exists to protect against TB, but vaccination programmes have been discontinued in many countries over the past two decades.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The BCG vaccine is given during childhood and is currently the most widely used shot globally.
It is no longer offered to secondary school kids in the UK and instead only targets young children deemed most at risk.