This meeting took place on 24 June 2015. Read the transcript here.
London has the highest incidence of active Tuberculosis (TB)[1] in any western capital city.
In 2013 there were 2,985 new cases of TB in London, compared to 2,719 new diagnoses of HIV in London in the same period.[2]
Drug-resistant strains of the disease are emerging and these are harder and more expensive to treat.[3]
TB is closely associated with deprivation and health inequality with a higher number of cases across certain boroughs and different communities.
The London Assembly Health Committee will tomorrow hear from healthcare professionals on TB prevention and treatment in London. How can we raise awareness of the disease and tackle the stigma around it? What can the Mayor do to support this? How will the new national TB strategy be implemented in London? The following guests will be questioned:
Yvonne Doyle, London Regional Director, Public Health England
Lynn Altass, National TB Strategy Implementation Manager, NHS England
Dr Marc Lipman, Consultant Physician, Royal Free Hospital
Jacqui White, Lead Nurse, North Central London TB Service
The meeting will take place on Wednesday, 24 June from 10:00am in The Chamber at City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1). Media and members of the public are invited to attend. The meeting can also be viewed via webcast. Notes for Editors:
TB is a bacterial infection spread through the inhalation of droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person. It mainly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but can affect any part of the body, including the glands, bones and nervous system. Non-pulmonary TB is not infectious.
There have been more new cases of TB than new diagnoses of HIV in London every year since 2005. Tuberculosis in London: Annual Review (2013 data) - Appendix B, Table Bi, Public Health England and HIV in the United Kingdom: 2014 Report (Appendix 5), Public Health England.
A case of non-complicated TB can cost as little as £1,000 to treat, while a complex case can cost over one hundred times as much.
Dr Onkar Sahota AM, Chair of the Health Committee is available for interview. See contact details below.
London Assembly Health Committee.
As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Lisa Lam on 020 7983 4067. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.