Why does tuberculosis increase in the United Kingdom, the most fatal infectious disease in the world?

Anja Madhvani was already sick When he ended up from the water in the middle of the desert. He had traveled from the United Kingdom to manage an ultramarathon in Morocco in 2018, but it seemed that he could not keep enough food. I got caught at night and had a fever. When he went on, the blood went out.

Then the hallucinations began. “I was alone in this extension of the cooked terra,” said Madhvani, now 35 years old, to “Euronews Health”. “And I had the physical feeling I was dying.” When the race is finally over And he returned to the United Kingdom, the doctors told him that he had influence and then a chest infection.

Subsequently, the radiographs and Phlegm tests confirmed that Madhvani I had tuberculosiswho made him one of the 6.9 million people with diagnosis of that year all over the world. Madhvani took 11 days in the insulation unit of a hospital and almost a year taking tablets every day to recover from the disease and another year to feel again.

“Progress was very slow,” explains Madhvani, director of events in Leeds. “I had walked with this fatal thing within me and I had no idea … some of those things still last a bit.” Often think about tuberculosis like a relic of the nineteenth century, when it was believed that “Tisis” was responsible for a quarter of all the deaths in the United Kingdom.

But it is still the most fatal infectious disease in the world and it is estimated that it kills 1.25 million people In 2023. Tuberculosis struck mainly in Southern countries -East Asia, Africa and West Pacific, is often called “social disease” due to its close relationship with poverty.

After a decline During the Covid-19 pandemicrich countries such as the United Kingdom are seeing a rebirth of tuberculosis Which, according to experts, is the canary in the coal mine for other health problems related to social deprivation, by others Infectious diseases at chronic conditions Like diabetes.

“Give Research center on tuberculosis of the School of Tropical Medicine of Liverpool.

Cases of tuberculosis increase in the United Kingdom

England recorded 5,480 cases of tuberculosis last year, and 13% More than in 2023, in addition to an increase of 11% of the previous year, the greatest annual increase since then At least 1971. Spain, in the meantime, Has a rate of tuberculosis incidence It evolved from 9.39 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 to 7.83 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022

Now it is so common that an eastern London clinic, where there are more new cases of tuberculosis of any other place in western Europe, will open to Center of 4.63 million pounds (5.55 million euros) For patients with tuberculosis. Last year he edited 294 patients.

Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium Which can remain latent in the lungs for decades before attacking the rest of the body, in particular the spine and the brain. The only vaccine currently helps to prevent diseases among small children, but NOegeffective For adults. Most of the new cases in England have occurred among immigrants who may have infected years before their arrival.

But for the second consecutive year, the cases of tuberculosis are also increasing in England among those born in the United Kingdom, after decreasing every year since 2012. The infections have also increased in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It is likely that the increase in cases will be partly due to the interruptions of medical treatment during the Covid-1 pandemic, which means that only now is an accumulation of tuberculosis infections. It is a fairly large increase As if these delays were probably just a part of the story.

The risk of contracting tuberculosis is larger among the homeless, who live overcrowded, who are either in prison, who have consumed drugs or alcohol or suffering from malnutrition. At the end of 2024, only 13.1% of England TB patients for 15 years Or more reported at least one factor of social risk, but with the lack of data, it is likely that it is an insufficient count.

“We know quite well for the figures from which the increases come. Because it is still a mystery “He explains to “Euronews Health” Paul Sommerfield, executive administrator of TB Alert, a non -profit organization dedicated to tuberculosis in the United Kingdom and India.

How to fight tuberculosis

At the beginning of this month, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) He requested the opinion of experts on an updated five -year action plan to prevent, detect and better control tuberculosis in England.

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The current plan intended to stop delays In the diagnosis such as that suffered by Madhvani, to ensure that most patients end up treatment, perform multiple TB detection tests and guarantee that healthcare professionals can detect the signs of the disease. But it is not yet clear if quite money will be allocated On the new plan, in particular to raise awareness among the high -risk communities on symptoms and how to access medical treatment, Sommerfield said.

Ukhsa refused to answer questions about priorities or the budget of the new plan. In a declaration sent to “Euronews Health”, Dr. Esther Robinson, head of the agency tuberculosis unit, described the “serious public health problem” disease and urged the population to undergo tests if it presents symptoms, including a persistent and mucus cough.

Wingfield has some ideas for the plan. You want to run other detection tests For new immigrants at risk of contracting tuberculosis, since there are few who really suffer them and have suggested that companies that take on foreigners help to finance the program. He also wants that the government collects more information on the social and economic problems of patients with tuberculosis, contact them with houses, food banks and other services.

In the United Kingdom, many Doctors specialized in tuberculosis “They gave money from the pocket to someone who participated in to get food, pay a bus … or simply because I’m in a desperate situation,” explained Wingfield.

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In the meantime, Madhvani stressed the lagoons in supporting the mental health of patients of TB, especially once the treatment is finished. “I don’t think the system understands how terrifying and alone it is, especially when you finish the treatment and launch yourself into the world. There is no longer followed,” he says.

Identifies tuberculosis to facilitate treatment

A positive aspect is that few British patients They have forms of resistant tuberculosis to drugs, which can make it difficult and more expensive. Pharmacor’s resistance represents a serious problem in countries where people have difficulty accessing medical treatment or interrupting treatment in an initial phase. The drugs sometimes cause painful side effects and People have to take them Every day for 4-9 months.

“We have a fairly good system for the treatment of tuberculosis, but it is about finding people soon to treat it correctly,” says Sommerfield. Some infected people never develop the disease. But The eradication of infections in an initial phase is fundamental For patients like Madhvani.

He doesn’t know how tuberculosis has contracted. But before his diagnosis, infected his partner without knowingFriends, family and colleagues. The majority did not develop the disease, but the mother yes, and seven years later she continues to fight the complications of health. Another person that Madhvani infected had latent tuberculosis, but he still had no diseases. The doctors prescribed drugs to avoid the disease, but they stopped taking it soon.

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Years later, “sent me a photo of him to the hospital, demacked … and Seemed sick than I was ever“Says Madhvani. Her reaction was anger for not taking tuberculosis seriously.” I don’t think people understand what can happen to you if you don’t heal, “he says.” It doesn’t matter how rich you are, if you have traveled or not. If you come into contact with her, you are in danger. “