From ‘unusual swellings’ to night sweats – all the signs of the ‘world’s most deadly infection’ as cases rise in the UK
FOR many BRITS, tuberculosis (TB) belongs in history books.
But the Victorian bug, dubbed one of the most deadly infections in the world, is on the rise in the UK once again.
Health chiefs are scrambling to “investigate the reasons” behind the 10 percent rise in TB cases last year- from 4,380 in 2022 to 4,850 in 2023.
The largest increases have been seen in London, nicknamed the “TB capital of Western Europe” as well as urban centres of the West Midlands and North West, officials said.
Dr Esther Robinson, head of the TB unit at UK Health Security Agency, said: “Not every persistent cough, along with a fever, is caused by flu or Covid-19.
“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.”
TB mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the glands, bones, and nervous system, according to NHS Inform’s website.
Typical symptoms of TB 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
A recent study found that four in five of those who catch the bug won’t suffer from a cough – previously thought to be a key symptom of TB.
Globally, 7.5million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2022 – the highest number ever recorded.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said this was because many people could not get a diagnosis or treatment during Covid lockdowns when healthcare was, on the whole, harder to access.
A separate report found cases of drug-resistant TB had increased by three per cent between 2020 and 2021.
In July 2022, Brits were urged to be on the lookout for signs of the deadly Victorian disease after an outbreak at a university in Wales.
What is TB?
TB remains one of the world’s most deadly diseases and the second leading infectious killer after Covid-19.
The bacterial infection spreads in the air when people carrying the bug cough, sneeze or spit.
This disease was once a scourge and killed an estimated four million people between 1851 and 1910.
Today, less than six per cent of those with TB are killed by the disease thanks to antibiotics.
The infection can spread to your brain, heart, abdomen, glands, bones and nervous system.
People are at higher risk of the disease if they are in close contact with a person known to have the disease, travel to countries with high rates of TB, are homeless, are addicted to drugs, have a weakened immune system or are in prison.
How can I protect myself against TB?
There is a shot to protect you against tuberculosis called the BCG vaccine.
The NHS stopped offering the BCG vaccine to children in 2005, now only targeting children who travel to badly affected countries.
The NHS recommends it for the following groups:
- Babies who live in areas of the UK where TB is more common
- Babies and children who live with someone who has TB
- Babies and children who were born or lived in a country where TB is more common
- Babies and children whose parents or grandparents were born in a country where TB is more common
- People aged 35 and under who are spending more than 3 months in a country where TB is more common
- People at risk of getting TB through their work, such as healthcare workers who work with people who have TB