The streets of London with worse TB rates than Rwanda
PARTS of England have higher rates of tuberculosis than Iraq, Rwanda and Eritrea, figures reveal.
The illness is mostly spread among migrants, refugees, the homeless and drug takers, according to a report.
London – where the migrant population was soared in the last decade – is by far the worst affected area, with more than 2,500 new cases in the capital last year.
Today’s report shows a third of London boroughs are above the ‘high incidence’ level set by the World Health Organisation, with more than 40 cases recorded per 100,000.
They include Hounslow, Brent, Ealing and Newham, East London, which had the highest TB rates in the UK in 2014 with 107 cases per 100,000.
By comparison, Iraq had just 45 cases per 100,000, while in the East African countries of Rwanda and Eritrea there were 69 and 92 cases per 100,000 respectively.
The very high rates in England compared to the Third World are partly because NHS doctors are very good at detecting it. However, the report authors pointed out that London had been described as the ‘TB capital of Western Europe’.
TB is a serious infection spread by coughs and sneezes over a long period of time and usually between family members. It mainly affects the lungs but can also cause liver and kidney complications – even death if left untreated.
Most cases are curable with a course of antibiotics which patients usually take for six months. Symptoms include a persistent cough, a temperature, tiredness and weight loss. Some patients can be infected for years without feeling unwell.
The report by the London Assembly shows there were 2,572 cases of TB in 2014, a slight fall from the 2,985 recorded the previous year.
Rates are particularly high among migrants from Sub-Saharan and West Africa, as well as Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
Newham, the worst affected bor- ough, has seen one the largest influxes of migrants in the last decade, and the non-UK born population grew by 72,285 between 2001 and 2011.
Dr Onkar Sahota, chairman of the London Assembly Health Committee, said rates for some boroughs were ‘astounding’. He added: ‘If we don’t get a grip on London’s TB
‘The tuberculosis capital of Europe’
situation now, the harder and more expensive it will be to tackle in the years to come.’
Figures from Public Health England, the government agency responsible for tackling disease, show the overall rates in England are declining. A total of 6,520 cases were recorded in 2014, a 10 per cent drop from 7,257 in 2013. A spokesman for City Hall, which represents the Mayor, said: ‘The number of people infected in the capital has fallen but the Mayor remains committed to tackling TB and is assured by Public Health England that every effort continues to be made to prevent and treat the disease in London.’