Research and analysis

HPR volume 13 issue 10: news (22 March)

Updated 20 December 2019

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Provisional TB data (England) for 2018

PHE has released provisional 2018 data for TB in England which show an 8.4% decline in notifications since 2017 [1]. This represents the lowest number of people with TB ever recorded [2].

The provisional total of 4,672 TB cases in 2018 represents a 44% decline in new case notifications (from 8,280 to 4,672) since the peak level of annual notifications recorded in 2011 (see figure). This continuous decline brings the rate of TB in 2018 further below the 10 per 100,000 threshold which defines the UK as a WHO “low incidence” country.

Number of TB case notifications and rates, England, 2000 to 2018

Number of TB case notifications and rates, England, 2000 to 2018 (provisional data).

Publication of the data is for the purpose of informing further implementation of the Collaborative TB Strategy for England 2015-2020 [3,4] ahead of World TB Day (24 March).

Despite progress made in reducing overall TB rates in England, PHE is working with NHS England and other partner organisations to continue implementation of the TB Strategy. This includes implementing schemes that focus on treatment completion among at-risk groups, on testing and treatment for latent TB, and, in particular, on raising awareness and tackling TB in under-served populations – among whom rates of TB are not declining.

A GOV.UK website news story linked to the newly released data, notes that the most deprived 10% of the population have a TB rate more than seven times higher than the least deprived 10%, and people born outside the UK have a rate 13 times higher than those born in the UK [2].

PHE’s latest Public Health Matters blog describes examples of recent PHE work aimed at under-served populations – those in contact with the criminal justice system, in particular [5].

References

  1. PHE (March 2019). “Tuberculosis case notification and incidence in England between 2000 and 2018 (provisional data)”.
  2. GOV.UK website news story (22 March 2019). TB cases hit lowest-ever level”.
  3. PHE (January 2015). Collaborative tuberculosis strategy for England: 2015 to 2020.
  4. PHE (22 March 2019). TB Strategy Update [subscription required].
  5. Tackling tuberculosis in under-served populations, Public Health Matters blog, 22 March 2019.

Infection reports in this issue of HPR

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