Whooping cough and tubercuolosis cases on the rise in England - symptoms and treatment

Cases of both tuberculosis and whooping cough are rising in the UK, sparking concern from health experts.

There was an 11 per cent rise in tuberculosis (TB) cases in England in 2023 compared with 2022, according to provisional data. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there were 4,850 cases last year, which was higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, GPs in England have diagnosed more than 1,400 cases of whooping cough - otherwise known as the "100-day cough" - so far this year.

Dr Esther Robinson, head of the TB unit at UKHSA, said: "We need collective action to tackle TB and we are working with partners across the health system to understand how we can best refocus efforts to stamp out this preventable and treatable infection. Not every persistent cough, along with a fever, is caused by flu or Covid-19.

"A cough that usually has mucus and lasts longer than three weeks can be caused by a range of other issues, including TB."

Dr Robinson advised people to speak to their GP if they thought they were at risk.

The symptoms of tuberculosis include a cough that lasts more than threew weeks - which may include coughing up blood - feeling tired or exhausted and having a high temperature or night sweats.

The main treatment for TB is to take antibiotics for at least six months. If TB has spread to your brain, spinal cord or the area around your heart, you may also need to take steroid medicine for a few weeks.

According to the NHS, the first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat. You may bring up a thick mucus, which can make you vomit, and make a "whoop" sound - hence the name - which comes from gasping for air between coughs.

Hospital treatment is usually needed if you have severe whooping cough, or your baby is under 6 months old and has whooping cough. If whooping cough is diagnosed within three weeks of the infection, you'll be given antibiotics to help stop it spreading to others. Antibiotics may not reduce symptoms.

If you've had whooping cough for more than three weeks, you're no longer contagious and do not need antibiotics.