TUBERCULOSIS affects more people in Ealing than it does in Mali.
Two years ago, there were 63 cases per 100,000 people in Ealing, according to Public Health England, while the World Health Organisation reveals that Mali had 60 cases per 100,000 in the same year.
Southall is by far the worst afflicted part of the borough, with 143.2 sufferers for every 100,000 people between 2011 and 2013.
Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group says TB is more common among people from high-prevalence countries, like India, where many Southall residents originate.
Spokesperson Louise McCudden said: “Ealing Southall constituency serves the highest-need part of the borough. It is the most deprived, overcrowded and has a diverse population.”
The only London boroughs to have a higher rate than Ealing in 2013 were Newham and Brent, with 107 and 89 conditions per 100,000 people respectively.
Ealing CCG plans to review the advice of Public Health England to combat the disease.
It will then decide which of the suggested steps to implement in the borough.
Currently, treatment involves a combination of an outreach worker, primary care, TB clinics and in-patient care when required.
TB is a bacterial infection, spread by inhaling droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person and can be very contagious when it affects the lungs.
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