logo
Why is tuberculosis, the world's deadliest infectious disease, on the rise in the UK?

Why is tuberculosis, the world's deadliest infectious disease, on the rise in the UK?

Euronews20-04-2025

ADVERTISEMENT
Anja Madhvani was already sick when she ran out of water in the middle of the desert.
She'd travelled from the United Kingdom to run an ultramarathon in Morocco in 2018, but couldn't seem to keep enough food down. Camping in the evenings, she was feverish. When she coughed, blood came up.
Then the hallucinations started.
'I was on my own in this expanse of baked earth,' Madhvani, now 35, told Euronews Health. 'And I just had this physical feeling that I was dying'.
When she finally finished the race and made it back to the UK, doctors told her she had the flu, then a chest infection.
X-rays and phlegm testing later confirmed Madhvani actually had tuberculosis (TB) – making her one of about 6.9 million people worldwide to be diagnosed that year.
It took Madhvani 11 days in a hospital isolation unit and nearly a year of daily pills to recover from the disease, and another year to feel like herself again.
Related
Global aid cuts are 'crippling' the fight against the world's deadliest infectious disease, WHO says
'Progress was so slow,' said Madhvani, an event manager in Leeds. 'I had been walking around for quite a while with this deadly thing inside of me, and I had no idea… Some of those things still linger a little bit'.
TB is often thought of as a relic of the 19th century, when 'consumption' was believed to be responsible for a quarter of all deaths in the UK.
But it remains the world's deadliest infectious disease, killing an estimated
1.25 million people
in 2023. TB mostly affects countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Western Pacific, and it is often called a 'social disease' because of its close links to poverty.
After a downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic, wealthy countries like the UK are now seeing a resurgence of TB that experts say is the canary in the coal mine for other health issues related to social deprivation – everything from other infectious diseases to chronic conditions like diabetes.
'Because TB is the archetypal disease of poverty… it really is a sentinel for other conditions,' Dr Tom Wingfield, an infectious disease doctor and deputy director of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine's Centre for TB Research, told Euronews Health.
TB cases up across the UK
England reported 5,480 TB cases last year,
up 13 per cent
from 2023 on top of an 11 per cent increase the year before – the biggest annual jump since
at least 1971.
Related
Tuberculosis cases are up among kids in Europe and Central Asia, health authorities warn
It's now common enough that a clinic in East London, which has more new TB cases than anywhere else in Western Europe, is opening a £4.63 million (€5.55 million)
centre for TB patients
. It treated 294 patients last year.
TB is caused by a bacteria that can lie dormant in the lungs for decades before attacking the rest of the body, notably the spine and brain. The only vaccine currently available helps prevent the disease among young children, but is
not effective
for adults.
ADVERTISEMENT
Most new cases in England have been among immigrants who may have been infected years before their arrival.
But for the second year in a row, TB cases are also on the rise in England among those born in the UK after they'd fallen every year since 2012. Infections are also up in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The uptick in cases is likely due in part to disruptions in medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning a backlog of TB infections is only now being detected.
Related
Public programme to give poor people cash reduced tuberculosis cases and deaths, study finds
It's a big enough increase that these delays are likely only part of the story.
ADVERTISEMENT
TB risks are higher among people who are homeless, living in crowded settings, currently or formerly imprisoned, have a history of drug or alcohol misuse, or are grappling with undernutrition.
As of late 2024, just 13.1 per cent of England's TB patients aged 15 or older reported at least one social risk factor – but with data missing, it's likely an undercount.
'We know pretty well from the figures where the rises are coming from. The why is still a bit of a mystery,' Paul Sommerfield, executive trustee of TB Alert, a non-profit focused on TB in the UK and India, told Euronews Health.
How to combat TB
Earlier this month, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) asked experts to weigh in on an updated 5-year action plan to better prevent, detect, and control TB in England.
ADVERTISEMENT
The current plan aimed to curb delays in diagnosis like the one Madhvani faced, have most patients finish their treatment, do more testing for TB, and ensure health workers can spot the signs of TB.
Related
UK PM Starmer announces major healthcare reform as public sector cuts take shape
But it's still unclear whether enough money will be attached to the new plan, particularly for efforts to raise awareness in high-risk communities about symptoms and how to access medical care, Sommerfield said.
The UKHSA declined to answer questions about the new plan's priorities or budget.
In a statement issued to Euronews Health, Dr Esther Robinson, head of the agency's TB unit, called the disease a 'serious public health issue' and urged people to get tested if they have symptoms, including a persistent, mucus-ridden cough.
ADVERTISEMENT
Wingfield has some ideas for the plan. He wants more screenings for new immigrants at risk of TB, given few eligible people are actually tested, and suggested that employers who recruit from overseas could help fund the programme.
He also wants the government to collect more information on TB patients' social and financial problems, so they can be connected to housing, food banks, and other services.
Many TB doctors in the UK 'have given money from out of their pocket to somebody that they've looked after to get food, to pay for a bus… or because they're just in a dire situation,' Wingfield said.
Related
Having a poor socioeconomic background could speed up biological ageing, new study finds
Meanwhile, Madhvani pointed to gaps in mental health support for TB patients, particularly once they wrap up treatment.
ADVERTISEMENT
'I don't think that the system understands how frightening it is and how lonely it is, especially when you finish treatment and then you're just spat out into the world. There's no more follow-up,' she said.
Identifying TB early to make treatment easier
One bright spot is that few UK patients have forms of TB that are resistant to drugs, which can make it harder and more expensive to treat.
Drug resistance poses a bigger problem in countries where people struggle to access medical care or stop treatment early. The drugs cause sometimes painful side effects, and people are supposed to take them every day for four to nine months.
'We have a fairly good system for dealing with TB, but it's a matter of finding people soon enough to treat them properly,' Sommerfield said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Related
Antibiotic-resistant superbugs could kill 39 million people by 2050, researchers warn
Some people who are infected with TB never go on to develop the disease. But rooting out infections early is critical for patients like Madhvani.
She doesn't know how she got TB. But before her diagnosis, she unknowingly infected her partner, friends, family members, and colleagues.
Most didn't go on to develop the disease, but her mother did, and she is still struggling with health complications seven years later.
Another person Madhvani infected had latent TB, but no disease yet. Doctors put him on medication to stave off illness, but he stopped taking it early.
ADVERTISEMENT
Years later, 'he sent me a photo of him in hospital, emaciated… and he looked more unwell than I ever was,' Madhvani said. Her gut reaction was anger that he hadn't taken TB seriously enough.
'I don't think people understand what it will do to you if you don't get it sorted,' she said. 'It doesn't matter how wealthy you are, whether you've travelled or not travelled. If you come into contact with it, you're at risk'.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US restores some medical research grants, says top Trump official
US restores some medical research grants, says top Trump official

France 24

time12 hours ago

  • France 24

US restores some medical research grants, says top Trump official

Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), made the remarks during a Senate committee hearing examining both recent cuts to his agency and deeper reductions proposed by the White House in next year's budget. Bhattachartya said he had created an appeals process for scientists and laboratories whose research was impacted, and that the NIH had already "reversed many" of the cuts. "I didn't take this job to terminate grants," said the physician and health economist who left a professorship at Stanford University to join the Trump administration. "I took this job to make sure that we do the research that advances the health needs of the American people." The hearing came a day after more than 60 NIH employees sent an open letter to Bhattacharya condemning policies they said undermined the agency's mission and the health of Americans. They dubbed it the "Bethesda Declaration" -- a nod both to the NIH's suburban Washington headquarters and to Bhattacharya's role as a prominent signatory of the 2020 "Great Barrington Declaration," which opposed Covid lockdowns. Since Trump's January 20 inauguration, the NIH has terminated 2,100 research grants totaling around $9.5 billion and $2.6 billion in contracts, according to an independent database called Grant Watch. Affected projects include studies on gender, the health effects of global warming, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.

US health secretary ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee
US health secretary ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee

Euronews

timea day ago

  • Euronews

US health secretary ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has fired every member of a vital scientific committee, that advises the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on how to use vaccines, pledging to replace them with his own staff. His actions have come under the radar with various groups having criticised his decision, which they feel may endanger the future use of vaccines in the US. Major physicians in the country have slammed the decision to oust all 17 members of the panel. Tom Frieden, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and former director of the CDC, accused Kennedy of 'politicising' the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP), warning that it could undermine public trust established through years of commitment and hard work. 'We'll look back at this as a grave mistake that sacrificed decades of scientific rigour, undermined public trust, and opened the door for fringe theories rather than facts,' he added. But Kennedy insists the decision was taken on merit since several members had many conflicts of interest while they were holding a position on the board. Members are currently required to declare any potential such conflicts, as well as business interests, that arise during their tenure. They also must disclose any possible conflicts at the start of each public meeting. Although it's typically not viewed as a partisan board, the entire current roster of committee members were Biden appointees. The health secretary said in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that the Trump administration would not have been able to appoint new members until 2028 without removing the current roster. 'A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science,' said Kennedy Jr. Frieden says the health secretary's actions were based on false conflict of interest claims and sets 'a dangerous and unprecedented action that makes our families less safe' by potentially reducing vaccine access for millions of people. Georges Benjamin of the American Public Health Association (APHA) called the ouster 'a coup.' Bruce Scott of the American Medical Association (AMA) warned the decision could lead to lower vaccination rates and more disease outbreaks. Scott also called the ACIP a trusted source of science- and data-driven advice and said Kennedy's move, coupled with declining vaccination rates across the country, will help drive an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases. Kennedy has long been a staunch critic of vaccination programmes, gaining popularity as one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine activists, prior to his appointment as top US health official. Last month, he changed the CDC's COVID-19 guidelines – without first consulting the committee – removing it as a recommended vaccination for children and pregnant women, leaving that decision in the hands of patients. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a security meeting on Wednesday following his phone call with US President Donald Trump. Israeli media says the call between Trump and Netanyahu lasted around 40 minutes, with the pair discussing a wide range of topics, from the war on Gaza to developments in the Iran nuclear deal. Asked about his call with Netanyahu, Trump didn't offer much detail, but insisted that the call with the Israeli premier went well. "Very well. Yeah, we discussed a lot of things, and it went very well. Very smooth. We'll see what happens. You know, we're trying to do something with a country we just spoke about, Iran,' said Trump. Trump however revealed that negotiations appear to be stagnant due to the Iranians being 'good negotiators'. He also again warned that a violent US approach to Tehran is not off the table. 'Sometimes they can be too tough. That's the problem. So, we are trying to make a deal so that there's no destruction and death. And we've told them that, and I've told them that, and I hope that's the way it works out. But it might not work out that way." Joining the security meeting with Netanyahu – according to Israeli media – are Defence Minister Israel Katz, Shas party chairperson Aryeh Deri and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Far-right figures who will also reportedly be taking part in the meeting include National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Ben Gvir and Smotrich are not typically included in such high-level meetings. The meeting comes as Tehran is expected to respond to Washington's proposal for a nuclear deal. The Iranian response is expected to arrive in the form of a counter to the US proposal. Washington has reportedly proposed to allow Tehran to continue enriching uranium, but at low levels and for a limited time period. This will then be halted when a consortium is established for the enrichment of uranium for Iran and other countries outside of Iranian territory. Tehran is expected to reject this proposal, with rumours emerging that Iranian officials will not accept a deal in which they're told what to do on their own territory.

US health secretary dismisses entire vaccine advisory panel
US health secretary dismisses entire vaccine advisory panel

France 24

timea day ago

  • France 24

US health secretary dismisses entire vaccine advisory panel

The decision to remove all 17 experts of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was unveiled in a Wall Street Journal op-ed and an official press release. Kennedy cast the overhaul as essential to rebuilding public trust, accusing the panel of being compromised by financial ties to pharmaceutical companies. "Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," he said in the statement from the Department of Health and Human Services. "The public must know that unbiased science -- evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest -- guides the recommendations of our health agencies." In his op-ed, Kennedy claimed the panel had been "plagued with persistent conflicts of interest" and had become "little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine." He said new members were being considered to replace the outgoing experts, who had been appointed for their recognized expertise and were required to submit conflict-of-interest disclosures. Kennedy has spent the past two decades promoting vaccine misinformation, including the widely debunked claim that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot causes autism. Since taking office, he has curtailed access to Covid-19 vaccines and continued to sow doubts about the MMR shot -- even as the United States experiences its worst measles outbreak in years, with three reported deaths and more than 1,100 cases. Experts warn the number of official cases may vastly understate the true toll of the measles outbreak.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store