England's TB cases rise 13% in 2024 as drug resistance hits new high

Health officials reported a sharp rise in tuberculosis notifications in England for 2024, with 5,490 cases recorded, a 13 percent increase on the 4,831 reported in 2023. The increase has coincided with the highest proportion of drug resistant TB detected since enhanced surveillance began in 2012, and officials warned the country could lose its World Health Organization low incidence status if trends are not reversed.

The UK Health Security Agency said the national notification rate rose to 9.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2024, up from 8.5 in 2023, leaving England just below the WHO low incidence threshold of 10 per 100,000. Of laboratory confirmed infections, 2.2 percent showed resistance to multiple drugs, the agency reported. The UK has held low incidence status since 2017.

The rise is uneven across the country. Urban areas account for the highest rates: Leicester had the highest three year average to 2024 at 42.1 notifications per 100,000, and Newham recorded 41.4. In total, 61 local authority areas had three year average rates above the WHO low incidence threshold. Several Greater Manchester boroughs were also above that threshold, with Manchester at 25.3 notifications per...