# 5001
Crof over at Crofsblog has a story from the Birmingham Mail on the alarming rate of Tuberculosis in Birmingham, England’s second most populous city, with a population of just over 1 million.
Follow the link to read the report on Crofsblog. When you return, I’ll have more.
UK: "Third World" rate of TB in Birmingham
Via Birmingham Mail.net: Tuberculosis is rife in Birmingham says report.
All of this may sound a bit familiar to constant readers since earlier this summer we saw a similarly alarming story about the level of tuberculosis being reported in London, as well (see UK: TB Rising).
A few excerpts from that report include:
This past week (July 2010) we’ve a report on the incidence of Tuberculosis in London, England. The rate is rising, and that has some public health officials very concerned.
First, this abstract from the Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdq046.
Recent trends in tuberculosis in children in London
, E. Sanchez-Padilla, H. Maguire,
J.E.T. Ruwende
J. Carless, S. Mandal, D. ShingadiaAbstract
Background Childhood tuberculosis (TB) represents a sentinel event of recent transmission and is an indication of the effectiveness of prevention and control interventions. We analysed the trends in the epidemiology of TB in children in London aged 0–14 years between 1999 and 2006.
Methods Data were extracted from the Enhanced TB Surveillance System.
Results Between 1999 and 2006, there were 1370 cases of TB in children. Incidence was higher in older children and in girls. The incidence rates in London Boroughs varied from 0.4/100 000 to 32.7/100 000. Between 1999 and 2006, Black-Africans comprised 49.2% of all TB cases in children, children from the Indian Subcontinent 21.8% and Whites 8.5%. The proportion of cases born in the UK averaged 52.4% during this period. Of non-UK-born children 79.3% were diagnosed with TB within 5 years of entry.
Conclusions Ethnicity, country of birth and age are important risk factors for development of. With an overall TB incidence in London exceeding 40/100 000, universal BCG immunization of all neonates should be considered across all London boroughs.
For more background, we go to this summary report on the Emerging Health Threats Forum.
High incidence rate in London sparks call for city-wide BCG vaccination in early childhood
The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the UK capital has reached levels that should trigger the start of routine vaccination against the disease for all babies born in the city, according to research published this month. Writing in the Journal of Public Health, medical scientists say that almost 45% of all childhood TB cases in the UK are now occurring in London.
A policy of routine BCG immunisation has been in place in some North London boroughs for several years already. The vaccination is advised only for UK-born babies whose parents and grandparents come from countries with a high incidence of TB, and those born in such countries who were not immunised previously.
The jab is also recommended for children living in areas where TB incidence in the entire population exceeds 40 cases per 100,000 people. This is now seen consistently across London, say the authors.
The UK’s NHS (National Health Service) maintains a major web portal on TB information, including details on the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine which provides protection against tuberculosis.
BCG (tuberculosis) vaccination
Who should have the vaccine?
The BCG vaccine is not given as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule unless a baby is thought to have an increased risk of coming into contact with TB.
For example, all babies born in some areas of inner-city London (where TB rates are higher than in the rest of the country) should be offered the BCG vaccination.
BCG vaccinations may also be recommended for people who have an increased risk of developing TB, such as:
- health workers
- people who have recently arrived from countries with high levels of TB
- people who have come into close contact with somebody infected with respiratory TB
