Cases of a Victorian superbug are soaring due to drug-resistant strains – and Leicester has the highest rate of all. Tuberculosis rates dropped from 2010 to 2020 around England, but are rising again due to growing resistance to antibiotics.

The 2024 figures from the Government show there had been 161 suspected or confirmed cases of tuberculosis in Leicester city over a three-year period and rates in the city are higher than any other local authority area in England.

Figures released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that the proportion of cases – the rate per 100,000 people – has reached 42.1 in Leicester, compared to an England average of just 9.4.

The disease is spread like a cold but can cause serious issues for the lungs, glands, bones and even brain. Symptoms include a chronic cough, fever, chills, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and coughing up blood.

In England last year, 82 per cent of suspected cases of tuberculosis were in people born outside the UK. It continues to be associated with deprivation and the infection is more common in large urban areas.

Rates elsewhere in Leicestershire are far lower than in the city, ranging from 1.7 in Hinckley & Bosworth to 8.3 in Oadby & Wigston.

Neighbouring cities have high rates but are well below the level seen in Leicester, with 12.7 in Nottingham 12.0 in Stoke-on-Trent and 11.9 in Derby.

The UKHSA has warned that tuberculosis rates in England are rising very quickly, with total numbers having risen by 11 per cent from 2022 to 2023 and then by 13 per cent from 2023 to the latest figure from 2024.

There were 5,490 suspected and confirmed cases of tuberculosis in England in 2024. Drug-resistant strains of the disease are becoming more prevalent, with more than one in 50 of those latest cases resistant to multiple drugs designed to treat the condition.

Leicester isn’t the only area dragging the average rate up. Other high rates are in the London boroughs of Newham (41.4), Brent (39.1), Harrow (35.0) and Ealing (33.6), followed by Slough in Berkshire (32.8) and Hounslow in London (31.5)

You can see all the England figures using our interactive map below.

Tuberculosis, or TB, which used to be known as consumption in Victorian times, caused the deaths of an estimated four million people between 1851 and 1910 in England and Wales. Elsewhere around the globe it remains a serious problem.

Worldwide, tuberculosis now kills an estimated 1.25 million people a year, making it the leading infectious disease killer in the world, having surpassed Covid-19.

Dr Esther Robinson, head of the tuberculosis unit at UKHSA, said: “TB is preventable and curable but, with rates increasing, it remains a serious public health issue.

“We must act fast to break transmission chains through rapid identification and treatment.

“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 – particularly if you have recently moved from a country where TB is more common.”

Highest rates of TB in English local authority areas: