World TB Day

World TB Day on 24 March commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the TB bacillus was the cause of tuberculosis.  At the time TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one in seven people.  In the UK TB affects around 8,000 people each year. Despite a reduction in the number of TB cases in the past three years, England is still has the highest number in Western Europe with 39% of them occurring in London.

Action points:

1. Read the recently updated NICE guidance on TB at https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng33
   It recommends:
   1. Searching out active cases in the communities most at risk (areas where homelessness, drug use and poverty are prevalent).
   2. Treatment of latent TB is extended from people aged 35 years-and-under to 65 years-and-under. A course of medication for latent TB is shorter, easier to stick to and cheaper than the subsequent treatment required should the disease become active and infectious.
   3. Education and awareness should be a key priority. Those with TB should be supported in their treatment to avoid drug resistance and limit the spread of the disease.
2. Read the PCRS-UK Tuberculosis Opinion Sheet (HERE) which provides practical guidance and tips on the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis in primary care and the responsibilities of the healthcare professional when TB is diagnosed

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