A consultant has issued a dire warning as cases of a Victorian disease surge, leaving some young Brits 'unable to walk'.
The condition - which had previously become very rare thanks to modern medicine - is said to be on the rise again, with young people 'in the prime of their lives' being left in horrifying pain.
According to The Mirror, cases of the disease rocketed by 13 per cent in 2024. In the first three quarters of 2025, an additional 1.5 per cent of cases were reported, and two weeks ago, it was confirmed at an Amazon facility in Coventry that 10 workers had tested positive.
Tuberculosis had almost disappeared in the UK by the 1980s, with the World Health Organization (WHO) awarding a low-TB classification.
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However, the UK is on the verge of becoming a 'medium incidence' nation for TB for the first time this millennium, as more drug-resistant variants of the condition continue to increase.
What are the symptoms of tuberculosis?
TB is transmitted by bacteria and spreads through close contact with someone who has symptoms.
Professor Onn Min Kon, a respiratory specialist and chief of the tuberculosis unit at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, told The Mirror that some might be confusing TB symptoms with Covid-19, adding: "People were ascribing their cough to COVID and lots of other infections, but in fact they were potentially harbouring infectious TB, and in a much more advanced phase."
Here are the symptoms to be aware of, according to the NHS:
- a cough that lasts more than 3 weeks.
- a productive cough, with mucus or phlegm, which contains blood
- exhaustion or extreme tiredness
- a high temperature, fever or night sweats
- not feeling hungry and a loss of appetite
- weight loss
Confusingly, some people test positive for tuberculosis without showing any symptoms, and this is known as latent TB, with symptoms being regarded as active TB.
These symptoms can worsen and impact other parts of the body if it spreads, including swollen glands, constipation, dark or cloudy pee and more.
What are some of the problems tuberculosis can cause?
Professor Onn Min Kon warns that many people, especially the young, are facing significant damage from the condition.
"Certainly in London, the severity of the presentation seem to be worse now. I think that is partially a carryover from COVID," he explained. "We also see a large element of people with what we call extra-pulmonary TB, which means the TB is not just in the lung.
"You can have terrible, devastating, spinal disease and people are paralysed. These are productive young people in the prime of their lives - making a living and bringing up a family - and suddenly they find they can't walk."
The first line treatment for tuberculosis is antibiotics for at least six months, but it can cause severe complications if left untreated.
The BCG vaccination can prevent the illness.
Jen Thomas