STRONG progress in tackling TB is continuing in Yorkshire and the North-East, with numbers of cases continuing to fall.

The latest data shows there were 440 cases of TB reported in Yorkshire during 2015 with 129 cases of TB reported in the North-East during the same year.

In Yorkshire, that continues the reductions seen in recent years, down from the 524 cases reported in 2014.

The picture is in line with the national position, where the number of cases of TB in England has declined by 30 per cent over the last four years.

“There’s no doubt that these figures are good news for us and it’s positive that our efforts are starting to show real results in the reductions in the figures,” said Dr Renu Bindra, chair of the regional TB control board and consultant in communicable disease control with Public Health England.

“However, we can’t afford to be complacent. We know that England still has one of the highest rates of TB in Western Europe and we have particular groups which continue to concern us and who we need to work together to better diagnose, treat and protect in the future.

“We know that the incidence of TB is higher in underserved populations in Yorkshire while, in the North East, TB rates can be three times higher in the most deprived areas, when compared with the least deprived.”