British Rates of TB "Are Worse Than Third World"

A report released Nov. 24 warned that tuberculosis is making a comeback in the United Kingdom, and levels of the disease are now higher than is some Third World nations. The report, the result of a six-month investigation by the London Assembly health committee, showed a doubling of TB cases since 1987. Lung experts accused the government of failing to tackle the disease.

Newham in East London now has the highest rate of TB in the Western World, with 100.6 infections per 100,000 people. Even affluent parts of London are seeing more TB, with rates in Islington rising three-fold. "The biggest rises in TB are in London, but the threat from TB is not exclusive to London," said Peter Ormerod, a lung specialist at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

The rise in TB is being blamed on an influx of foreign nationals from poor countries where TB is rife. "Cases in the ethnic minority population are growing and a high proportion of these are born abroad," Ormerod said. Half of those infected with TB in Newham are thought to be asylum seekers from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

"After a century in decline, TB is making a worrying comeback in the capital," said Elizabeth Howlett, chair of the Assembly health committee. Health experts say at least an extra £10 million (US$16.9 million) is needed for TB screening to help stop the disease from spreading.

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