Leading scientists in the field of tuberculosis (TB) recently gathered to discuss how to improve national prevention strategies for the control of TB. UK is one of few countries in Western Europe which has seen an increase in the number of active TB cases in recent years.
The group, chaired by Professor Peter Davies, consultant chest physician at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, and Dr Onn Min Kon, consultant respiratory physician at St Mary’s Hospital, highlighted findings that current UK immigrant screening procedures miss more than 70% of latent TB infection. In Britain, cases of TB increased by almost 50% between 1989 and 2009, with 9,040 cases reported in the UK in 2009; in 2011, TB reached its highest peak in 30 years. Foreign-born individuals account for nearly three quarters of the country’s TB cases. “A significant proportion of active TB cases in the UK stem from immigrants carrying latent TB, whose infections are ‘reactivated’ at some point after they arrive in this country,” said Prof. Davies. “Compounding this is that the diagnostic test that has traditionally been used for identifying latent TB infection is more than 100 years old, and is often inaccurate. We need clearer strategies for testing for latent disease among immigrants, and better diagnostic tests.” Dr Onn Min Kon, said: “We urgently need to stem the tide of rising TB cases in the UK. This is not a problem that can be tackled by healthcare professionals alone – it needs to be a joint effort with policy and society.” He highlighted the need for discussion on how to tackle the influx of TB infection and incorporate new and more effective interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) testing into efforts to screen for and prevent the spread of TB. The symposium was sponsored by QIAGEN.
