New data has revealed the amount of people exposed to the condition
TB is on the rise in Liverpool (Image: Shared Content Unit)
The number of people diagnosed with a Victorian superbug in Liverpool in a three year period has increased as the city’s levels hover ever closer to a World Health Organisation (WHO) threshold. New data has revealed how between 2022 and 2024, 45 people were confirmed to have contracted tuberculosis (TB) in the city.
TB – which used to be known as “consumption” – was the scourge of Victorian Britain and caused the deaths of an estimated four million people between 1851 and 1910 in England and Wales. Victorian authors, including Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell, referenced the disease in their work.
Union bosses have demanded the temporary closure of an Amazon warehouse after an outbreak of TB. The GMB union has written to Amazon after multiple cases of tuberculosis were reported at the internet giant’s Coventry site, with NHS staff called in to perform blood tests on workers.
The outbreak at the Amazon factory comes as TB infections have been rising in recent years. Last year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned that England could lose its “low-incidence” status for TB, which it has held since 2017.
The GMB union has now demanded that Amazon immediately close its warehouse and that all staff be sent home on a medical suspension, on full pay, until the health crisis is resolved. Amazon has confirmed that a “small number” of people at its Coventry fulfilment centre tested positive for TB last year.
It says those workers responded well to treatment, are no longer infectious, and that no new cases have been identified. According to the latest UKHSA data, there were 5,490 notifications of TB in England in 2024, a 13% increase – or more than 600 additional cases – from 4,831 notifications in 2023, which was itself 11% higher than in 2023.
Liverpool now has a rate of 9 notifications per 100,000 population, increased from 7.2 per 100,000 previously. This increase reflects global patterns, with many countries experiencing rising TB rates in recent years.
Although the rate has increased, the risk to the general population from TB remains low. TB is preventable and curable, and 87% of people with uncomplicated TB in Liverpool complete their treatment within 12 months.
Liverpool Council is working with the NHS and other partners to improve the prevention, detection and control of TB, including through expansion of testing amongst those most at risk and addressing health inequalities.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies countries with a threshold of 10 TB cases per 100,000 people as “low-incidence”. England now has a rate of 9.4 notifications per 100,000 people, just below the low-incidence threshold and up from 8.5 per 100,000 people in 2023.
TB notifications are a statutory requirement for GPs to report suspected or confirmed cases to the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System.
Professor Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health for Liverpool Council, said: “It’s important to remember that not every persistent cough, along with a fever, is caused by flu or COVID-19. A cough that usually has mucus and lasts longer than three weeks can be caused by a range of other issues, including TB.
“Please speak to your GP if you think you could be at risk. I want to reassure people that TB does not spread easily from person to person. People are normally only at increased risk if they have spent many hours in close contact with someone with active TB symptoms who is infectious and coughing.
“Spotting symptoms of TB and getting medical attention is really important to stopping the spread of the infection, as TB can be treated with antibiotics. It is important that everyone is aware of the symptoms of TB, as greater awareness can mean the condition is diagnosed much faster.”
Dr Esther Robinson, Head of the TB Unit at UKHSA, said: “TB remains a serious public health issue in England. The infection is preventable and curable.“If you have moved to England from a country where TB is more common, please be aware of the symptoms of TB so you can get promptly tested and treated through your GP surgery. Not every persistent cough, along with a fever, is caused by flu or COVID-19.
“A cough that usually has mucus and lasts longer than 3 weeks can be caused by a range of other issues, including TB. Please speak to your GP if you think you could be at risk.”
Worldwide, TB killed an estimated 1.23 million people in 2024, making it the leading cause of death from a single infectious disease, and one of the top 10 biggest causes of death overall. In England last year, 82% of TB notifications were in people born outside the UK, but there was an increase in both UK-born and non UK-born populations.
TB continues to be associated with deprivation, and the infection is more common in large urban areas. For those born in the UK, TB is more common among those who experience homelessness, drug and alcohol dependence and have had contact with the criminal justice system.
TB is a serious long-term condition, but it is now curable. It usually affects the lungs but can spread to other parts of the body, such as your glands, bones, and brain.
Symptoms include a chronic cough, fever, chills, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and coughing up blood. See a GP if you’ve had a cough for more than three weeks if you’re tired and not sure why, have a high temperature or night sweats that don’t go away, or have lost weight without changing your diet or exercise routine, or if you’ve spent a lot of time with someone who has TB.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you cough up blood.