- The number of children diagnosed with tuberculosis in
London has more than doubled in 10 years, says a study published
today.
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- Cases of the lung disease in those aged 16 and under
rose by 130 per cent between 1988 and 1998, reaching 231 four years
ago.
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- Researchers said the rise was associated with children
coming to London from countries where TB is widespread. Almost half of
children diagnosed were born abroad, with most developing TB within five
years of arriving in Britain.
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- In 1998, more than four in 10 children with the disease
were black African, while one in five was from the Indian Subcontinent,
according to a study in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
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- "The high proportion of those born abroad emphasises
the importance of BCG immunisations for children in immigrant families
to protect against severe forms of the disease," said Dr Philip
Atkinson,
of the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre in London, who led the
study.
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