Harrow records highest rate of TB in London

A north-west London borough has the highest rate of active tuberculosis (TB) in the capital, according to new data.

The National TB Surveillance System said 44 in every 100,000 residents had active TB in Harrow, and cases "still seem to be rising", the council said.

Laurence Gibson, Harrow's director of public health, said the current cohort of residents with TB were "likely to have been infected before they travelled to the UK", adding that it was an issue across north-west London.

Harrow's Department of Public Health is in the process of developing a TB action plan which it expects will be brought forward in the early part of next year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

TB is an infection that normally affects the lungs, but can also affect the brain, spine and kidneys.

Active TB is when a person has symptoms, such as a cough, tiredness, fever, and weight loss. People are infectious until approximately two weeks of effective treatment have been completed.

Latent TB is when the bacteria that caused the disease infected someone but they have no symptoms. Latent TB can become active TB in approximately one in 10 people.

In Harrow, between January 2023 and December 2025, there was an average of 105 people per year diagnosed with active TB.

It has the second highest number of active cases per borough in England, according to the National TB Surveillance System.

Rates have increased year on year since January 2019, when incidents were at their lowest.

Harrow's public health data shows that, of those eligible for latent TB screening, 35% were screened and of those, 10% completed treatment.

Gibson told a health and social care scrutiny meeting that they "don't know why this is" but understanding it would form a "vital part" of creating an action plan.

Wards including Edgware, Centenary, Kenton East, Kenton West, Wealdstone South, Headstone, Rayners Lane and Roxeth had the highest incidences, according to a council report.

The report said a large population in the borough were at risk of having latent TB, which could become infectious if it reactivated.

"Without changes to how latent and active TB are detected and treated in the borough, it is likely that the incidence of TB, and its associated harm, will continue to increase," the report said.

In England, approximately one in every 25 people diagnosed with active TB die within 12 months of diagnosis, equating to approximately 150 deaths per year.

Harrow Council agreed to advocate for more screening and better conversion of screens to treatment, promote GP registrations and improve awareness and education of the disease.

Gibson said: "It can be life threatening. It's a shame because it's a curable condition but for approximately one in 10 people that are diagnosed there is a mortality rate associated. There's greater awareness that's needed, unquestionably."

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