How Many People In Britain Get TB Yearly?

Tuberculosis, commonly abbreviated as TB, is a very contagious disease. It is mainly caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It afflicts the lungs (pulmonary TB), central nervous system (meningitis), lymphatic system, circulatory system (miliary tuberculosis), genitourinary system, bones and joints.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately two billion people suffer from TB worldwide. Britain has an average of 13 TB patients per 100,000. According to the WHO and the Public Health Laboratory Service, the number of TB patients in London (40 persons per 100,000) is over three times the national average. Birmingham has the highest number of TB incidences in the United Kingdom (about 90 people per 100,000 suffer from the epidemic), whereas Hertfordshire is at the other end of the spectrum with less than five people suffering from the killer disease per 100,000.