TB in the UK
TB incidence has been rising in Great Britain since the late 1980s.
The latest confirmed figures show that there were 8,417 reported cases of TB in the UK in 2007, a rate of 13.8 per 100,000 population.
While this shows a small decrease in numbers (0.9%) compared to 2006,
provisional statistics released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to coincide with World TB Day 2009 revealed that cases of the infection rose by 2% from 2007 to 2008.
The number of people infected by the illness increased from 8,496 to 8,679, according to the figures. The main burden of disease remains concentrated in certain urban areas, with 39% of all cases in London, giving it a rate of 43.2 per 100,000.
Provisional new TB cases by region, UK, 2005-2008
| |
% change in numbers |
| Region |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
05 - 06 |
06 - 07 |
07 - 08 |
| East Midlands |
563 |
579 |
574 |
535 |
3% |
-1% |
-7% |
| East of England |
474 |
446 |
359 |
474 |
-6% |
-20% |
32% |
| London |
3541 |
3445 |
3333 |
3415 |
-3% |
-3% |
2% |
| North East |
136 |
145 |
199 |
172 |
7% |
37% |
-14% |
| North West |
749 |
764 |
759 |
758 |
2% |
-1% |
0% |
| Northern Ireland |
76 |
61 |
65 |
59 |
-20% |
7% |
-9% |
| Scotland |
362 |
384 |
401 |
455 |
6% |
4% |
13% |
| South East |
508 |
645 |
727 |
692 |
27% |
13% |
-5% |
| South West |
268 |
280 |
273 |
268 |
4% |
-3% |
-2% |
| Wales |
164 |
168 |
193 |
167 |
2% |
15% |
-13% |
| West Midlands |
938 |
984 |
941 |
1027 |
5% |
-4% |
9% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber |
591 |
654 |
672 |
657 |
11% |
3% |
-2% |
| UK |
8370 |
8555 |
8496 |
8679 |
2% |
-1% |
2% |
(Click here to see TB rates per Primary Care Trust)
TB case reports, rates and annual percentage change, England, 2000-2007
| Year |
Number of cases |
Rate (per 100,000) |
Annual change in case numbers (%) |
2000 |
6091 |
12.4 |
- |
2001 |
6414 |
13.0 |
5.3 |
2002 |
6638 |
13.4 |
3.5 |
2003 |
6741 |
13.5 |
1.6 |
2004 |
7049 |
14.1 |
4.6 |
2005 |
7846 |
15.5 |
11.3 |
2006 |
7862 |
15.5 |
0.2 |
2007 |
7742 |
15.2 |
-1.5 |
(All statistics from the Health Protection Agency)
The cases in the UK are just a pale reflection of the nine million individuals affected by active TB every year worldwide. In the UK we are fortunate that TB mortality rates are low, but globally around 1.7 million people a year die because they can not access good treatment. Click here for more on TB worldwide.
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