As the resurgence of tuberculosis that began in the 1980s continues at local and national levels, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) North West, NHS North West, the charity TB Alert and the region’s Primary Care Trusts are launching a campaign to raise awareness of the disease.
The campaign aims to educate and inform about TB and bust myths. For example, many people think that TB was all but eradicated in the UK by the mass X-ray campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s, but approximately 9,000 cases were recorded in England and Wales in 2009.
There were 816 cases in the North West in 2009 (up from 743 in 2008), more than in any other part of England and Wales apart from London and the West Midlands.
Professor Dr. Qutub Syed, Director, HPA North West, said: “Our goal is to give people of all backgrounds basic information on TB and its symptoms and the knowledge of what to do if they think they may have the disease. This will be one of our top priorities for the next six months.
“We are targeting news media outlets that serve ethnic minority communities, but we are also seeking to develop a partnership with mainstream UK newspapers, television and radio because TB is everyone’s business.
“It would be a huge mistake for people to think that TB is just in immigrant communities in Britain. TB can affect anyone and no one should be complacent about it.”
In addition to media work, the region’s TB leads, Drs. Marko Petrovic in Greater Manchester, Evdokia Dardamissis in Cheshire and Merseyside and Sohail Ashraf in Cumbria and Lancashire are drawing up a list of community events that they can attend along with colleagues from TB Alert and local PCTs to answer questions, allay concerns and hand out information leaflets.
