Cases of tuberculosis have risen by more than a third in the last year.
The disease, most commonly associated with poverty, is at its highest level in seven years.
In total there were 283 cases of TB reported to the Enhanced Surveillance of Mycobacterial Infections system in 2023, equating to an annual incidence of 5.2 cases per 100,000 population.
This is a 40.8% increase compared to the previous year when there were 3.7 cases per 100,000 population. It is the highest incidence reported in Scotland since 2017.
TB is a bacterial infection which usually affects the lungs and is spread by breathing in bacteria that are coughed out by people with TB in their lungs.
When most people breathe in TB bacteria, the body’s immune system controls the bacteria and stops it from growing.
However, people may become ill weeks, months, or even years after breathing in TB bacteria.
Anyone can get TB, however, those most at risk are people who have lived outside of the UK where TB rates are high.
You’re also at higher risk if you are malnourished, live in overcrowded or unhealthy conditions, you regularly smoke, drink alcohol or take drugs,live or spend a lot of time with someone diagnosed with active TB, have a weak immune system or diabetes.
Children under five are also at risk because their immune system has not fully developed.
In Scotland The disease is highest among males in the age groups 25 to 34 and 35 to 44.
Worryingly, the rates among children have also spiked with a rise in the under five rate from 0.2 cases to 2.4 cases per 100,000 population.
In 2023 67.5% of those with TB were born outside of the UK. The most reported risk factor for TB was being a refugee or asylum seeker.
In those born outside the UK, 71% were diagnosed two or more years after arriving in the UK.
Public Health Scotland said while this pattern is not fully understood, “it could be related to either reactivation of latent infection following entry to the UK, infection within the UK, or frequent travel to countries with a high incidence of tuberculosis”.
The association between tuberculosis and deprivation remains strong with 30.8% of cases reported in 2023 residing in the most deprived areas compared with 10.4% of cases in the least deprived.
Of the TB cases reported in 2022, 82.6% successfully completed treatment within 12 months – below the 85% recommended rate.
In 2022, eight people, 4%, died before completion of treatment compared compared to a death rate of 3.8% in England and 8.2% in the European Union.