An outreach worker from London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) is supporting residents in Ealing diagnosed with tuberculosis as the borough continues to record one of the highest TB rates in the country.
Ahmed Yassin visits up to five patients a day to ensure they are taking their medication and to link them with services offering help with housing and benefits. He is part of a specialist TB team that receives referrals from GPs and hospital departments, including A&E, where cases are sometimes identified during routine tests.
Newham, Brent, Harrow and Ealing each have TB rates above 30 per 100,000, as more than half of London’s boroughs report increases.
Mr Ahmed said: “The pandemic and cost of living crisis have had a noticeable impact on numbers as living standards have dropped and more people have been made homeless. People with weakened immune systems are the most vulnerable. The good news is it is curable with a course of medication.”
He said misconceptions about the disease remain. Mr Ahmed said: “It’s not easy to catch like flu and isn’t passed through touch. Symptoms include a persistent cough, fever, night sweats, weight loss, poor appetite and swollen glands.”
Many cases are latent, where people carry the infection without symptoms for years. Local GPs run a screening programme for new migrants from countries with high TB prevalence.
Mr Ahmed said: “It’s a good feeling to help people get back on their feet and realise there is life after TB.”
