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St Thomas's Hospital is seen behind a British union flag in London - Source: Reuters
Cases of tuberculosis (TB) in Britain rose by 5.5% in the past
year and are at their highest levels since the 1980s, health
authorities said.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said there were more than 9,150
cases of TB in 2009, most of them among immigrants.
The main burden of infection was in London with 3,476 cases
reported in 2009, accounting for 38% of the nationwide total.
Nearly three-quarters of all cases were in people born outside
Britain, the figures showed.
"The increase we have seen this year is the biggest rise in the
number of cases since 2005," said Ibrahim Abubakar, a TB expert at
the HPA.
An official said infection rates were at their highest since the
1980s.
TB is caused by bacteria and usually affects the lungs. Antibiotics
can cure it, but about 1.7 million people around the world die from
it every year.
"We must remain vigilant in our fight against TB. This is an
entirely preventable and curable infection, but it can be fatal if
prompt diagnosis and treatment are not given," Abubakar said.
Health officials were not able to say exactly why the rise had
occurred, and said no one particular factor was responsible for the
increase, which has been gradual.
Up to a third of people worldwide are infected with the bacterium
that causes TB, although only a small percentage ever develop the
disease.
Some studies have shown that people with substance abuse problems
and those who live in hard-to-reach communities are more prone to
the illness than the general population.
The AIDS epidemic drove up the number of TB cases across the world
in the late 1980s and 1990s because the immune suppression caused
by HIV can make a person far more susceptible to TB.
The HPA said the West Midlands region reported the second highest
number of cases, accounting for 11.3% of cases, and rises were seen
in eight out of nine regions across the country.
