New TB action plan

Thursday, 7 October 2004 12:00 AM

The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, today published a new plan designed to reduce and eventually eliminate tuberculosis in Britain.

TB was once a major killer in Britain, but modern medicine, a vaccination and an improved public health system meant that incidences of the disease began to level out in the 20th century, falling to a low during the 1980s.

However, in the last 10 years incidences of TB in England have increased by 25 per cent, according to official figures.

Most experts agree that globalisation has led to greater contact, due to travel and immigration, with countries where there is a high prevalence of TB.

The vast majority of TB cases are found in the major cities, with two out of five cases in London. Nearly two thirds of the 6000 a year diagnosed with TB were born abroad, and seven out of ten of those diagnosed come from an ethnic minority group.

TB is particularly prevalent in Eastern Europe, South-East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Today's new attempt to tackle the disease will involve a drive to increase awareness amongst both health professions and the public, increasing disease surveillance, particularly among high risk groups and a focus on ensuring early intervention and high quality treatment.

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.

"Our long-term goal is to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, TB in this country."

Specific measures include better information in other languages, ensuring high vaccination rates in the children of high risk groups, strengthening disease surveillance in prisons, and more research into drugs and vaccines.

Giving his approval of the plan, Health Secretary, John Reid, said: "This is a hugely important problem and I have been discussing it informally with fellow ministers in Europe. I have been intent that we would be the first country to have such a comprehensive plan and I am very grateful to CMO for having completed this important work."

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