27 October 2015 - Tuberculosis (TB) poses a highly significant public health challenge in the capital today [2]. A significant minority of Londoners don’t know how TB is transmitted or what the symptoms are.
A new survey [3] commissioned by the London Assembly Health Committee found that one in five Londoners (18%) said that they don’t know what the symptoms of TB are, when presented with a list.
Stigmatisation of TB is widespread – for example, only 30% of Londoners said that they would be happy to spend time with someone who has TB. This means many people won’t seek diagnosis and treatment, even when they are very unwell, which can increase the chance of wider transmission, unknowingly passing TB onto family members and friends.
Drug resistance can arise when people fail to complete the full course of antibiotics to kill the infection. It is much more complex and expensive to treat, and the number of drug-resistant cases of TB in London is set to rise.
The London Assembly Health Committee report ‘Tackling TB in London’ calls for better public information, more outreach work and for the Mayor to take a leading role in TB control.
The report makes a number of recommendations, including:
Dr Onkar Sahota AM, Chair of the Health Committee, said:
“It is astounding that TB is such a prevalent disease in London and that misconceptions about the disease are so common. We know TB disproportionately affects prisoners, homeless people and people with substance abuse issues, and high quality TB care services are not universally available to all Londoners.
The Mayor needs to take more accountability for TB control in London. He is uniquely placed to drive forward measures for TB prevention, as well as better access to treatment. If we don’t get a grip on London’s TB situation now, the harder and more expensive it will be to tackle in the years to come. With pressures on health budgets, we can’t afford to take our eye off the ball.”
Notes for Editors:
Download:
Source: London.gov.uk