Written question asked by Charles Hendry (Conservative) on Monday, 14 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 17 November 2005. It was answered by Caroline Flint (Labour) on Wednesday, 30 November 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Tuberculosis

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the reasons for the rise in the number of cases of tuberculosis in England.

Answer: [holding answer 17 November 2005]: The chief medical officer's action plan ““Stopping Tuberculosis in England”” (October 2004) recognised that tuberculosis (TB) in England increased by 25 per cent. over the previous 10 years, and is still rising.There are a number of factors that contribute to the rise in TB. TB is so common in certain parts of the world that people who live there are at a higher risk of catching it. The disease follows patterns of migration, and in England around two-thirds of TB patients are born abroad. Among these people, TB as a disease may not develop until five to 10 years later. Apart from the changing patterns of migration, other factors for increasing rates of TB include increased opportunities for international travel; homelessness in inner cities and increasing alcohol and other substance misuse. Also, HIV infection weakens a person's immunity to TB, although this only accounts for a small proportion, around 3 per cent. of the total.The Health Protection Agency (HPA) implemented a system of continuous enhanced tuberculosis surveillance in England in 1999 in response to the increase in cases of tuberculosis reported through the statutory notification system for infectious diseases, and aimed to better inform understanding of the changing epidemiology of tuberculosis.Annual tuberculosis surveillance reports are available from the HPA's website at www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/tb/epidemiology/reports.htm

Secondary information