Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to eradicate tuberculosis.

The Department recognises the challenges posed by tuberculosis (TB) and supports NHS England in its collaboration with Public Health England (PHE) for a five-year national TB strategy.

In January 2015, PHE and NHS England jointly published the ‘Collaborative TB Strategy for England, 2015-2020’ available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collaborative-tuberculosis-strategy-for-england

The strategy has three aims: a year on year reduction in TB incidence in England, a reduction in health inequalities, and to contribute to eventual elimination of TB as a public health problem in England.

To achieve these aims the Strategy sets out 10 key ‘areas for action’, which include improving diagnosis and treatment, ensuring comprehensive contact tracing, improving vaccination uptake, reducing inequalities and tackling drug-resistant TB.