Tuberculosis (TB)

What is Tuberculosis (TB)? 

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is spread by airborne droplets. The risk of infection depends upon duration of exposure, the intensity of the exposure, and the immune status of the person exposed. The immune system clears the bacteria immediately in more than 80% of people exposed. In a small proportion of people who have been infected, the bacteria are walled off and remain dormant but viable. This is called latent TB. It is estimated that 5-10% of those with latent TB will develop active TB during their lifetime. The most infectious form of TB is pulmonary TB, particularly smear positive cases where TB bacilli can be seen on direct microscopic examination of the sputum. Left untreated, it is estimated that each person with active TB will infect on average between 10 and 15 people each year.

Symptoms:

Any of the following symptoms may suggest TB:

  • Fever and night sweats
  • Persistent cough
  • Losing weight
  • Blood in your sputum (phlegm or spit) at any time

Both health professionals and the general public should be aware of the following key facts about TB:

  • TB can be fatal if not treated
  • TB is usually curable with a six-month course of antibiotics which must be completed
  • Not completing the full course can encourage drug resistance
  • TB disease develops slowly in the body over a period of several months
  • Symptoms are: fever and night sweats, persistent cough, weight loss, blood in your sputum (phlegm or spit) at any time, a lack of appetite, fatigue and a general sense of feeling unwell
  • The infection requires prolonged and close contact in order to spread from person to person
  • Under half of cases in the UK have the infectious form of the disease
  • Most cases present little or no risk to others
  • It is very uncommon to catch TB from a child with the disease
  • TB treatment is free for patients in the UK

TB today remains an important public health problem throughout much of the world, causing the deaths of more than a million people each year, mostly in developing countries.  With effective treatment, TB can be a curable disease.

Information for the public

Key resources:

Vaccination against TB

BCG vaccine (tuberculosis) 

Guidance for health professionals

Key resources:

Check Data and surveillance tab below for information on Enhanced TB

 

Data and surveillance

Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in England and Northern Ireland (by UKHSA)

Northern Ireland Annual Surveillance Reports

Enhanced TB surveillance

All forms of active TB are statutorily notifiable so that timely public health action can be taken to prevent the spread, monitor outbreaks, assess the risk and manage incidents of exposure, and recognise trends in the incidence of TB in the population so as to contribute to and improve the control of TB. 

Statutory notification of TB cases is made through the Health Protection Duty Room: 

A notification form must be completed and sent to the Public Health Agency, including information on the patient’s name, address, sex, age and date of disease onset. The Infection Prevention & Control Team should also be informed in a hospital setting.

Where urgent advice or action is required, the Public Health Agency Duty Room should be contacted by telephone. Alternatively, the Public Health Agency can be contacted by telephone.  (0300 555 0114)

Enhanced data collection is input to the National Tuberculosis Surveillance system (NTBS) which allows for epidemiology in real time.

National TB surveillance (NTBS) system

Tuberculosis is a notifiable disease. Cases are also notified to PHA through a UK-wide National TB Surveillance (NTBS) system – the first UK-wide infectious disease enhanced surveillance system. NTBS provides information on:

  • number of cases
  • distribution
  • characteristics of cases
  • drug resistance patterns
  • treatment outcomes

It supports the early identification and treatment of cases and enables the identification of high-risk populations.With TB having been identified as a public health priority, detailed surveillance on case notification, risk factors, co-morbidities and laboratory results is vital to provide meaningful information on the epidemiology of the disease and to be able to implement evidence-based TB control strategies.

NTBS exists to provide detailed information on each person with TB and the epidemiology of their disease in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The information provided through notification and enhanced through linkage to other sources of data is used for epidemiological surveillance to control TB. 

NOIDs

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