Disease Control
(asked on 30th April 2025) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the UK’s health security against (a) malaria, (b) tuberculosis and (c) HIV/AIDS.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) holds data on all malaria cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom by the Malaria Reference Laboratory (MRL) and Public Health Scotland. The MRL’s extensive service to users in the UK includes: malaria diagnosis; epidemiological data; prophylaxis advice to health professionals; and technical advice on methodology and laboratory procedures. Almost all malaria cases diagnosed in the UK are associated with recent travel to an endemic area, and the UKHSA is working with the African Diaspora Malaria Initiative to reduce the burden of malaria in particularly affected groups. Where cases are identified as having no recent travel history, a full investigation is undertaken by the UKHSA. A standard approach to managing these cases is under development.
Information regarding malaria cases diagnosed in the UK is published on GOV.UK website, with annual reports and statistics on malaria imported to the UK available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/malaria-in-the-uk-annual-report
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/imported-malaria-in-the-uk-statistics
The UKHSA and NHS England’s joint tuberculosis (TB) action plan for England details actions to achieve a 90% reduction in people with TB by 2035, aligned with World Health Organization elimination targets. The plan is available at the following link:
The UK pre-entry TB screening programme operates in 102 countries, to reduce the importation of TB by screening applicants for long term visas from high TB incidence countries. People are screened in line with the UK Tuberculosis Technical Instructions, which are available at the following link:
Active TB can be prevented by identifying, testing, and treating people with TB infection. People who are close contacts of individuals with infectious TB are also tested for infection, so they can be treated before the disease develops.
The NHS England national latent TB testing programme for migrants from high incidence countries operates in 27 of the 42 integrated care board areas in England.
In March 2025, NHS England and The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital published a Getting it Right First Time review of TB services, which included a series of recommendations to reduce unwarranted variation in clinical practice and improve care, especially to underserved populations. The report is available at the following link:
The UKHSA, in collaboration with key stakeholders, is leading work to develop a new national action plan for 2026 to 2031, including a call for evidence.
The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030. The Department, the UKHSA, NHS England, and partners are developing the new HIV Action Plan for England, which we aim to publish this year.