World TB Day: Be TB Aware!
22 March 2016
The specialist Tuberculosis (TB) team at West Middlesex University Hospital are raising awareness for World TB Day this Thursday 24 March, with Hounslow continuing to have one of the highest TB rates in London.
The specialist Tuberculosis (TB) team at West Middlesex University Hospital are raising awareness for World TB Day this Thursday 24 March, with Hounslow continuing to have one of the highest TB rates in London.
The TB rate in Hounslow is 57/100,000*. West Middlesex University Hospital sees around 100 patients a year and their message is simple: the sooner TB is treated the better your chances are of making a full recovery.
Lead TB specialist nurse Faustina Annan-Addaeexplains: “Anyone can be infected with TB. It’s spread through the air when infected people cough or sneeze. Weakened immune systems struggle to fight off the bacteria which will usually attack the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body.
“Many people have symptoms and don’t realise that it’s TB. Please see your GP if you have symptoms such as coughing, fatigue, lack of appetite, night sweats that drench the sheets, and a fever, especially if your cough lasts for more than three weeks, or if you cough up blood. Your GP can refer you to our team and if you have TB we’ll start you on treatment without delay.
“The sooner you start treatment, the better your chances are of making a full recovery and not passing it on to others. TB is totally treatable.”
The TB team will be providing information and advice in the hospital atrium at West Middlesex on Thursday 24 March between 9.30am and 4.00pm.
The TB service at West Middlesex is available by GP referral or via A&E referral for people not registered with a doctor.