The UK Health Security agency has issued an alert after a surge in a disease that was common in teh country in the 1700s. Tuberculosis (TB) levels in England increased by 13.6% in 2024 compared to the previous year, data published today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows.

There were 5,490 notifications of the disease in 2024, compared to 4,831 in 2023. TB is preventable and curable, with 84.4% of patients completing treatment within 12 months.

The illness can cause a cough that usually has mucus and lasts longer than three weeks. England now has a rate of 9.4 notifications per 100,000 population, which remains below thes peak of 15.6 notifications per 100,000 population in 2011.

82% of TB notifications in 2024 were in people born outside the UK but there was an increa

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