Tuberculosis (TB), also known as consumption or “the white death”, is a disease which affects mainly the lungs of its victims.
Though rarely seen today, the illness ravaged the globe well into the 1900s.
In 1815, one in four deaths in England were a result of tuberculosis.
Public health measures, vaccinations and better sanitation helped combat the threat – but it still kills millions, especially in poorer countries.
UK cases have started to rise in recent years, with England recording its largest annual increase since 2000 in 2023.
TB cases increased by 11 per cent in 2023 and provisional figures for 2024 show a further rise of 13 per cent
Leicester had the highest rate of TB in the UK with 40.7 cases per 100,000 people – followed by Newham (40.6) and Brent (39.1).
Bolton ranked 34th out of all the UK’s 295 council areas (lower tier), with 14.5 cases of the disease per 100,000 people.
Cllr Jackie Schofield, Bolton Council‘s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “Our Public Health Team are monitoring the number of TB cases in Bolton and aware of the rises seen in recent years, similar to rises seen in other areas.
“TB is a potentially fatal condition but can be treated, so early diagnosis is essential to limit the impact on patients and the spread of the infection.
“We work with NHS colleagues to ensure that Bolton residents have access to healthcare services to prevent and treat TB.
“Public Health also work with services across the council to make sure there is support in place for those who need it to successfully complete treatment.”
In neighbouring Bury, the rate was less than half with six cases per 100,000 people.
Only two regions of Greater Manchester saw higher rates than Bolton – Manchester with 22.7 cases and Oldham with 14.8.
In total, 43.3 people were notified that they had TB in Bolton.
Bolton had the third highest rate of TB out of all GM’s boroughs (Image: Newsquest Archives) The North West of England was the worst hit region of the UK by the Victorian killer outside of London.
The majority of cases across the UK were diagnosed in people not born here, with 79.9 per cent being non-UK born in 2023.
This was despite the number of people being screened for infection before entry doubling between 2021 and 2023.
A test for TB in the lungs is a visa requirement for people coming to the UK for six months or more where the disease is common.
Officials from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have warned that the UK could be at risk of losing its WHO low incidence status – which it has held since 2017.
Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of UKHSA, warned that TB “remains a serious public health issue in England,” PA reported.
Speaking at the UKHSA conference in Manchester on Tuesday, she said: “This current rate of increase will soon see the UK lose its WHO low incidence status of 10 per 100,000 population.”
The UKHSA highlighted a “strong association” between the rise in TB cases in England and migration from “high or very high incidence countries”.
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Publication of the report comes as the health service emerges from the winter months, which saw a so-called “quad-demic” of disease; flu, Covid-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the vomiting bug norovirus.
Richard Pebody, director of epidemic and emerging infections at UKHSA, added: “This winter has demonstrated that rises in rates of infectious diseases can cause significant strain, not only on the individuals directly affected, but also on the NHS.
“It is vital that we are not complacent about infections where we can reduce the burden of disease via interventions such as our world-class vaccination programmes.”
