Warning after rise in South Tyne TB cases

The rate of TB in the borough rose to 2.7 cases for every 100,000 people between 2017 and 2019, according to Public Health England (PHE) figures.

That is up from the 2.2 cases per 100,000 people between 2016 and 2018.

Although this means an increase of just three to four cases a year, TB Alert said any increase in the disease – which primarily affects the lungs – is a concern because it may put sufferers at increased risk from coronavirus.

Across England, the rate rose slightly from 8.2 to 8.4 over this period – ending seven successive years of falling rates.

The disease is curable but can be fatal in itself if left untreated.

Mike Mandelbaum, chief executive of TB Alert , said: "It is worrying that the number of people with tuberculosis rose in 2019. We should take this as an early warning sign so that we don’t return to a pattern of rising rates like we saw in the 1990s and 2000s."

Like Covid-19, tuberculosis is an airborne disease that can be passed on by inhaling tiny droplets from an infected person's coughs and sneezes.

A PHE spokesman said England has surpassed the World Health Organization's targets to reduce TB rates to 10 per 100,000.

He added: “Despite a small rise in case numbers, the TB rate in England remains below the definition of a low-incidence country, for a third consecutive year."