Mobile clinics to fight TB epidemic

Tuberculosis screening vans are returning to London streets for the first time since the Fifties.

Health chiefs hope the first £400,000 mobile unit, launched today, will help stem the rising number of cases of the potentially fatal disease in the capital.

Almost 50 per cent of Britain's 7,000 annual TB cases occur in London, and nationwide cases have increased by 25 per cent in the last decade.

The reintroduction of mobile screening was ordered last year by Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson, who is warning that the level of infection in some boroughs is as high as in third-world countries.

"Most TB in England occurs among people in inner cities. Two in every five cases are in London," he said.

"The single most important way of controlling TB is to catch and treat cases early. State-of-the-art mobile units like this one will be key to targeting and treating hard-to-reach groups where rates of TB are often at their highest."

The new unit, staffed by radiologists, will be able to screen around 300 people a day using chest X-rays, and patients will be given an instant diagnosis. It will be sent to London's most at-risk areas, and will target the homeless and drug addicts. It will also be sent to many of London's prisons to screen inmates for early signs of the disease.

"We have spent many months finding the hotspots across London, and are already working with local hostels and community groups to ensure those at risk are tested when we visit the area," said Terry Jo, the project manager for the mobile unit.

"North-east London in particular has high infection rates but, in general, areas of extreme deprivation are hit worst of all, and of course those are the people not likely to seek medical help."

Jane Knight, the mobile unit's radiographer, said: "The key is spotting the disease early. By using chest X-rays, we can spot TB before any symptoms occur."

Jennette Arnold, chairwoman of the London Health Commission, called for hospitals across London to work together to tackle the problem.

"I will continue to work closely with the Mayor of London, the Department of Health and NHS trusts to combat the levels of this illness in the capital," she said.