ABSTRACT
Introduction It is estimated that over 1.7 billion people, or one-third of the world’s population, are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and that 3 million die each year from the disease. TB is thus responsible for more deaths than any other infectious agent. In countries such as the United Kingdom, the overall annual rate of the disease is about 10 cases/100,000, while in Africa this rate is in excess of 200 cases/100,000. A breakdown of the incidence in different ethnic groups in the United Kingdom reflects the rate in the countries of origin. For ethnic minorities who are classified as Black African, Indian subcontinent and Caribbean, the rates per 100,000 are >200, >100 and 20-30 respectively.
