A need for vigilance ...
... and for advice

A need for vigilance ...

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the United Kingdom, although still dramatically lower than 100 years ago, has recently started to creep up. TB is more common in ethnic minority communities than it is in the majority population, as demonstrated in Leicester where the bulk of pupils at the school hit by TB are Asian (p497).

Pharmacists should be vigilant for symptoms of TB in all customers, but especially in those from ethnic minorities. Some members of such communities, particularly those with poor English, may rely on self-medication and be reluctant to consult general practitioners. Pharmacists and pharmacy staff are ideally placed to spot symptoms of TB in these patients, to refer to general practitioners where appropriate, and to raise awareness of TB generally. Pharmacists should take advantage of pharmacy staff members who are able to speak ethnic minority languages to communicate with sections of the population who might otherwise be lacking advice on TB.

Vigilance for TB symptoms is also required in the case of people who have travelled to regions of the world where incidence of TB is high. Affected regions include South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe.

Although it would appear that the current outbreak of TB did not result from problems in the national vaccination campaign, it serves as a timely reminder of the importance of vaccination. Health care professionals are well aware that the success of all vaccination programmes depends on a high level of herd immunity — a message that is hard to get over to the general public. However, there is a potential for a positive outcome from the TB outbreak in Leicester. The publicity may persuade more people to consider their vaccination needs.

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... and for advice

This week has also seen an announcement of funding to fight diabetes in the Asian population in Leicester (p494). The funding will support researchers who believe that lifestyle factors may contibute to the considerable increased incidence of diabetes seen in the Asian population. Yet again, an opportunity for pharmacists to give health promotion advice has been highlighted (see also p511), particularly because they are able to reach sections of the community that other health professionals cannot.

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