The 7 little-known signs of TB you need to know amid ‘resurgence’ of nasty Victorian disease

DURING the winter months, it's pretty common to have a lingering cough or be struck down with the flu.

But with the deadly Victorian disease tuberculosis (TB) seeing a resurgence in England, officials have urged Brits to be vigilant about its symptoms.

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TB is one of the most infectious killer diseases in human history and has started to surge globally for the first time in 20 years.

Figures from the the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that cases of the Victorian disease increased by over 10 per cent last year - from 4,380 in 2022 to 4,850 in 2023 .

This worrying surge has left health chiefs scrambling to "investigate the reasons" behind it.

TB is serious and can be fatal if untreated.

It tends to affect the lungs but can also have an impact on the tummy, bones, glands and nervous system.

Health chiefs have warned that the disease's symptoms might easily be confused with a cold or flu, and they urged anyone with a a persistent cough and fever to see a GP.

Dr Esther Robinson, head of the TB unit at UKHSA, said: “Not every persistent cough, along with a fever, is caused by flu or Covid-19.

She explained how to spot a cough that could be caused by TB: "A cough that usually has mucus and lasts longer than three weeks can be caused by a range of other issues, including TB."

She urged anyone with these symptoms to speak to a GP.

The 7 signs of TB to know

According to the NHS, the symptoms of TB include:

1. A persistent cough that lasts more than three weeks and usually brings up phlegm, which may be bloody
2. Feeling tired or exhausted
3. A high temperature and night sweats
4. Loss of appetite
5. Weight loss
6. Feeling generally unwell

But if TB spreads to other parts of your body, such as your lymph nodes, bones or brain, you may also have other symptoms like:

• Swollen glands
• Body aches and pains
• Swollen joints or ankles
• Tummy or pelvic pain
• Constipation
• Dark or cloudy pee
• A headache
• Being sick
• Feeling confused
• A stiff neck
• A rash on the legs, face or other part of the body

It's possible to have TB in your body but have no symptoms - this is called latent TB.

If you have symptoms, this is called active TB.

People are at higher risk of the disease if they are in close contact with a person known to have the disease, travel to countries with high rates of TB, are homeless, are addicted to drugs, have a weakened immune system or are in prison.

A global threat

Globally, 7.5million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2022 - the highest number ever recorded.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said this was because many people were unable to get a diagnosis or receive treatment during Covid lockdowns.

A separate report found cases of drug-resistant TB had increased by three per cent between 2020 and 2021.

Experts that warned the disease could be overtaking Covid as a threat to the UK.

Professor Robert Wilkinson, who is trying to find a cure for the disease, said it's "inevitable TB will be the most deadly infectious disease in the world again".

The NHS stopped offering the BCG vaccine against TB to children in 2005, now only targeting only children who travel to badly-affected countries.

"The proportion of resistant TB is gradually increasing everywhere and that is a problem in Europe too", the Prof from London’s Francis Crick Institute, told the Mirror.

Until now, cases of the deadly infection have decreased by about two per cent per year for most of the past two decades.

According to a report on TB by the World Health Organization (WHO) the disease killed nearly 1.6 million people in 2021 - making TB the second leading infectious killer after Covid-19.

Many people were unable to get a diagnosis or receive treatment during Covid lockdowns.

To make matters worse, cases of drug-resistant TB also increased by three per cent between 2020 and 2021, the report said.

In July 2022, Brits were urged to be on the lookout for signs of the deadly Victorian disease after an outbreak at a university in Wales.

Three students at a university campus tested positive for the illness - eight months after coming into close contact with someone who died from the disease.

Illnesses such as scarlet fever, measles and mumps have all risen dramatically since Covid began.