Tuberculosis (TB) infections are surging in England, figures show, as officials urge healthcare providers to look out for symptoms.
Cases of the infectious bacterial disease increased by almost 14 per cent year on year in 2024 – the largest annual increase since national surveillance began. Officials recorded 5,490 TB notifications, up from 4,831 in 2023, according to the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA).
Provisional data shows cases of the potentially fatal disease increased by a further 3.9 per cent in the first half of 2025.
It follows a 10.6 per cent surge in cases in 2023, reversing a long-term downward trend in TB cases since previous highs in 2012.
The figures mean England is not on track to meet World Health Organisation targets to mostly eliminate TB by 2035, which aim to reduce patients suffering from TB by 90 per cent.
TB mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including lymph nodes, bones and the brain, causing meningitis. It is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Although it is a potentially deadly condition, it can be cured if it’s diagnosed early and treated with the right combination of specific antibiotics.
What are the symptoms?
TB symptoms include a cough that lasts more than three weeks, high temperatures, drenching night sweats, loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss. It can sometimes be confused with flu or Covid-19.
Although it is a potentially fatal condition in serious cases, it can be cured with antibiotics, but early detection is important.
In a warning posted on their website earlier this year, the UKHSA urged healthcare providers to keep communities aware of key symptoms, including a cough with mucus which lasts several weeks.
Where are tuberculosis cases rising?
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. It is spread predominantly through coughing and sneezing.
It remains most common in urban areas, including London. However, the fast increases were also seen in the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber and the south west.
Who is at highest risk of tuberculosis?
Individuals born outside of the UK accounted for eight in ten TB notifications in England last year, figures show.
There is also a clear link with social deprivation and inequality, with those who experience homelessness, drug and alcohol dependence or in contact with the criminal justice system at higher risk.
Those living in the most deprived areas of England experienced five times the rate of infections of those the most affluent regions, UKHSA figures show.
