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TB rates need to ‘fall further’ warns UKHSA
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reminds people to be aware of TB symptoms as it publishes its annual data on the number of Tuberculosis notifications in England, finding rates need to fall further to combat TB as a public health issue.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reminds people to watch for TB symptoms as it publishes its annual data on Tuberculosis notifications in England. The annual report shows that Tuberculosis (TB) notifications in England in 2025 have ‘remained level’ with the number of notifications in 2024.
While TB notifications saw a significant rise in 2024 compared to previous years, the UKHSA says rates need to fall further to combat TB as a public health issue in England
TB Notifications in England:
- 2022: 4,380 notifications
- 2023: 4,831 notifications
- 2024: 5,485 notifications
- 2025: 5,449 notifications
The UKHSA found that between July and September (quarter 3) of 2026, 1,224 people were notified with tuberculosis, this is a decrease of 13.9% compared with the same period in 2025. Provisional data analysing the first three quarters of 2026 to the same period of 2025 showed that TB notifications appear to have fallen by 8.2%.
TB rates remain highest in urban areas, the data showed that the most notifications were reported in London, at 20.2 per 100,000. The data found that people living in the most deprived areas were found to be 6.9 more likely to be diagnosed with TB than those in the least deprived areas, with TB notifications rising from 17.5 per 100,000 in 2024 to 19.4 per 100,000 in 2025.
To reduce the number of notifications found in the most at-risk populations, the UKHSA says ‘crucial’ work to increase awareness of TB and targeted testing must continue in line with the TB Action Plan. The government previously outlined the Tuberculosis (TB) Action Plan 2021 to 2026 to improve the detection, prevention, and control of TB in England.
The data found that there were fewer people diagnosed with rifampicin-resistant or multi-drug-resistant TB. While this figure decreased, the proportion of people remained similar, with 2.1% of people affected by multi-drug-resistant TB in 2025 and 2.2% of people affected in 2024. This type of TB requires complex treatment, which often places additional burdens on health services.
The UKHSA said that ‘ TB is the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent.’ The Head of the TB Unit at UKHSA, Dr Esther Robinson, said, ” While notifications haven’t increased in the past year, TB remains a serious public health issue. It’s important that everyone is aware of the symptoms to ensure prompt testing and treatment, so that we can bring TB levels down significantly.”
