Patients recalled for tests after TB death

People who came into contact with the deceased at Rotherham Hospital are now being tested for the disease, which has been on the rise in Yorkshire.

Officials say “close contacts” of the patient who died have also been traced and ward staff have been reminded of the signs and symptoms.

Hospital bosses are not revealing any further details of the patient, however, despite claims this could lead to outside contacts being unaware of possible risks.

A spokesman for the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said they had “recently contacted a small number of patients” to offer a test, but refused to say when the patient had been admitted to hospital, or when they died.

They added: “It is important to be aware that any possible infection risk is low. TB does not spread easily and tends to be passed on only after prolonged close contact with an infectious person who has TB of the lung.

“In most cases, TB is curable when treated with a course of special antibiotics.”

In March, official figures revealed the number of people affected by TB in Yorkshire had risen by nearly 10 per cent in the past year. Doctors said there were 686 cases in 2011, up from 630 the year before.

Nationally, the numbers of cases increased by five per cent to more than 9,000 last year, with around three-quarters of cases in people born outside the UK.

Deaths from the disease are increasingly rare, with the TB death rate worldwide dropping 40 per cent between 1990 and 2010. In the UK the Office for National Statistics recorded 334 deaths in England and Wales in 2008 where tuberculosis was the underlying cause.

Experts say people most at risk are those who misuse drugs or alcohol, people living in confined and poor quality accommodation, including prison, as well as being homeless or suffering from other medical conditions or taking treatments which may leave them vulnerable to infection.

George Thomson, medical director at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said “close contacts” of the patient who has died have “been identified and offered precautionary screening for TB”.

He added: “As a further precautionary measure, a small number of staff members have been made aware and informed of the signs and symptoms of the disease.

“At this stage no further individuals have been identified who need to be offered screening. We know that TB exists in our communities and so we should all be aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease.

“Symptoms of TB of the lung include a cough lasting for more than two weeks and sometimes with blood streaked sputum, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and weight loss, fever and sweating – particularly at night – and extreme fatigue. Anyone who thinks they may be affected by these symptoms should contact their GP.”

A spokesman for NHS Rotherham, which oversees doctors’ surgeries and clinics in the town, said that the disease is not thought to have spread outside the hospital.

No details of the patient who has died were being revealed. They have not been named, their age has not been revealed, and it is also unclear as to whether they were a foreign national or had recently been on holiday to a country where TB is widespread.

Rotherham’s MP, Denis MacShane, called for the hospital trust to make as much information as possible available to the public.

“They should say where they’ve come from. All the facts have to be put in the public domain, so that people can make their own judgements about contacts they might have made.”

Ebere Okereke, consultant in communicable disease control and TB lead for the Health Protection Agency in Yorkshire, said: “TB is both preventable and curable but prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential.

“Tuberculosis continues to disproportionately affect those in vulnerable groups, which are particularly hard to reach.”