‘Disturbing wake-up call’ as cases of ‘world’s deadliest infection’ rise across Europe

One of the most infamous diseases in history is on the rise once again and over a million people die from it around the world each year.

While it's entirely treatable, that hasn't stopped it from carving out a deadly reputation over the years.

And that's made worse by a rise in multi-drug resistant variants, where the success rate of treatments drops from 75.5 percent to 59.7 percent.

"The time to act to end TB is now," Dr Pamela Rendi-Wagner, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

"With the rise of drug-resistant TB, the cost of inaction today will be paid by us all tomorrow."

Last year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned that tuberculosis cases in England rose by 13 percent last year compared to 2023, taking the illness to levels not seen since before the coronavirus pandemic.

Tuberculosis mainly affects the lungs (Getty Stock Photo)

While there had been 4,850 reported cases in 2023, that figure climbed to 5,840 in 2024 and a report released yesterday (24 March) said that across Europe there was a 'disturbing wake-up call' in the rise of cases among children in particular.

While there was a drop in figures of the disease during the pandemic, there has been a rise in new cases across the continent and a 10 percent increase in the amount of children getting the potentially deadly disease.

"The worrying rise in children with TB serves as a reminder that progress against this preventable and curable disease remains fragile," Hans Henri Kluge, WHO's Regional Director for Europe, told Reuters.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that can affect any part of the body, but most often targets the lungs and is spread when someone with the disease coughs or sneezes.

Symptoms include a persistent cough, high temperatures, night sweats, a loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss.

Early symptoms can be confused with flu or coronavirus, but if you have a cough with mucus that persists for three weeks or more then you should see a doctor.

Cases of TB are on the rise, especially among children (Getty Stock Photo)

If left untreated then TB can be fatal but fortunately in this day and age antibiotics exist which can do the job, though getting the disease diagnosed early on is an important part of a successful treatment.

Studying the disease in England has indicated that it tends to be found in dense urban areas such as London, but health experts have spotted a rise in cases in areas such as the South West and North East where TB rates have historically been low.

The UKHSA said that 81.5 percent of TB cases in England come from outside the UK, while the remaining 18.5 percent of cases that originated here have demonstrated a 'clear link between TB and deprivation'.