Dear colleague,
Ahead of World TB Day on Monday 24 March, UKHSA is warning of an increase in Tuberculosis (TB) cases in England.
Provisional data published earlier in the year shows cases rose by 13% in 2024, making it a serious public health threat. 81.5% of all TB notifications in 2024 were in people born outside the UK, but there was an increase in both UK-born and non UK-born populations. TB can have a serious impact on health and can often be misdiagnosed as other illness (including COVID-19).
In response to the rise in cases and the increasing public health risk this presents, we are urging stakeholders who work with groups more at risk of TB to be aware of the signs and symptoms and promote awareness of the disease amongst these groups.
To support you with this, we have updated our stakeholder communications toolkit to include the latest provisional data. It also includes translations of social media assets and videos, alongside suggested stakeholder copy for press releases and publications. Please share the toolkit with your own networks as you see fit ahead of World TB Day.
If you have any questions or have any suggestions about how we may be able to help with your communications on TB, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Best wishes,
UKHSA External Affairs Team
www.gov.uk/ukhsa Follow us @UKHSA
