More than 9,000 TB cases reported in 2011

23 March 2012

Provisional figures released today by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show there were 9,042 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) in the UK in 2011. Compared to provisional numbers reported in 2010 (8,587), this is a five per cent increase.

The figures, released in the HPA’s annual TB newsletter ahead of World TB Day on Saturday 24 March, show the main burden of this infection is still in London with 3,588 cases reported in 2011, accounting for 40 per cent of the UK total. According to the provisional data, country of origin was recorded in 8,453 new cases, and almost three quarters (6,270) were in non-UK born people.

TB is an infection caused by bacteria. It usually affects the lungs, but can affect other parts of the body. TB is transmitted when someone who has the infection coughs or sneezes, but it requires close prolonged contact in order to spread from person to person.

Professor Ibrahim Abubakar, head of the TB section at the HPA, said: “Despite the observed increase in TB cases in 2011, this provisional data should be interpreted with caution because numbers are likely to change due to late notifications and de-notification of cases. It is therefore too early to determine whether this is a return to the upward trend of cases seen in the past two decades in the UK.

“TB continues to disproportionately affect those in hard to reach and vulnerable groups, particularly migrants, so it is crucial that we have specific strategies in place to address this. New guidance published today by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence aims to tackle some of the issues which health services encounter when trying to target TB prevention at hard to reach groups, such as immigrants, homeless people, problem drug users and prisoners.

“The HPA welcomes the guidance which provides useful and comprehensive recommendations on the best approaches to identifying TB in vulnerable individuals, as well as ensuring they complete treatment. We also welcome the recommendation that makes local health services responsible for producing plans tailored to meet the needs of their local area.

"In order to reduce TB cases in the future, it’s very important that health commissioners, especially in parts of the country with the highest rates of TB, prioritise the delivery of appropriate clinical and public health TB services."

Both health professionals and the general public should be aware of the following key, simple facts about TB:

TB can be fatal if not treated
TB is usually curable with a six-month course of antibiotics which must be completed
Not completing the full course can encourage drug resistance
TB disease develops slowly in the body over a period of several months
Symptoms are: fever and night sweats, persistent cough, weight loss, blood in your sputum (phlegm or spit) at any time, a lack of appetite, fatigue and a general sense of feeling unwell
The infection requires prolonged and close contact in order to spread from person to person
Under half of cases in the UK have the infectious form of the disease
Most cases present little or no risk to others
It is very uncommon to catch TB from a child with the disease
TB treatment is free for the patient in the UK

Notes to editors

1. For a copy of the HPA’s annual newsletter, please visit: http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Tuberculosis/

2. For a copy of the NICE guidance, please visit: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/PH37#

3. Breakdown of figures

Table 1. Provisional TB case reports by country, UK, 2007-2011
Year	Country								UK total
	England		Northern Ireland		Scotland		Wales		UK total
	No. of cases	% annual change	No. of cases	% annual change	No. of cases	% annual change	No. of cases	% annual change	No. of cases	% annual change
2007	7,837	-1.3	65	6.6	401	4.4	193	14.9	8,496	-0.7
2008	7,998	2.1	59	-9.2	455	13.5	167	-13.5	8,679	2.2
2009	8,423	5.3	42	-28.8	468	2.9	220	31.7	9,153	5.5
2010	7,862	-6.7	68	61.9	507	8.3	150	-31.8	8,587	-6.2
2011	8,418	7.1	63	-7.4	429	-15.4	132	-12.0	9,042	5.3

Table 2. Provisional TB case reports by region, England, 2007-2011
Year	Case reports
Year	East Midlands	East of England	London	North East	North West	South East	South West	West Midlands	Yorkshire & the Humber
2007	574	359	3,333	199	759	727	273	941	672
2008	535	474	3,415	172	758	692	268	1,027	657
2009	596	486	3,476	168	841	765	337	1,035	719
2010	486	481	3,309	143	843	778	287	887	648
2011	488	525	3,588	112	821	860	320	1,018	686

4. This year is the HPA is one of the sponsors for the sixth annual conference for the international union against TB and lung disease. For more information and to book your place visit www.hpa-events.org.uk/TheUnion

5. Over nine million new cases of TB, and nearly two million deaths from TB, are estimated to occur around the world every year. TB is the leading cause of death among curable infectious diseases. The World Health Organization declared TB a global emergency in 1993.

6. World TB Day is on 24 March each year and it aims to build public awareness about TB, reminding people that it is a global epidemic and causes several million deaths each year, mostly in developing countries. It commemorates the day when in 1882 Dr Robert Koch discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus (which is a bacteria).

7. HPA initiatives to help combat TB include a new initiative known as cohort review where health professionals, including doctors, nurses and HPA consultants commit to regular meetings to discuss patients on a case by case basis to ensure they are receiving the most appropriate treatment and that their contacts have been fully risk assessed to avoid further spread of the infection.

A further example is in the West Midlands where the HPA has joined forces with the NHS, local council and the charity TB Alert in an initiative called ‘Target TB’, which aims to work directly with community leaders and groups in hard to reach communities, to reinforce the message that TB is curable, while also raising awareness with GPs of the signs and symptoms and the importance of early diagnosis. The HPA with support from local councils and the NHS has also created a comprehensive DVD for community use.

8. The Health Protection Agency is an independent UK organisation that was set up by the government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to their health from infectious diseases and environmental hazards. In April 2013, subject to the usual approvals procedures for establishing new bodies, the Health Protection Agency will become part of a new organisation called Public Health England, an executive agency of the Department of Health. To find out more, visit our website: www.hpa.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @HPAuk.

9. For more information please contact the national HPA press office at Colindale on 0208 327 7901 or email colindale-pressoffice@hpa.org.uk. Out of hours the duty press officer can be contacted on 0208 200 4400.

Last reviewed: 23 March 2012