16/07/2024 - Health screening for vulnerable communities

TB screening was offered to people who are at the highest risk of contracting TB such as those who experience homelessness and rough sleeping, ex-offenders, those who engage in commercial sex work or people who are drug and alcohol dependent. 

This initiative was organised by Luton Council’s Public Health Team which involves the UCL/NHS mobile x-ray unit, local NHS services and community support workers actively identifying and testing relevant individuals, with the council providing transport to ensure prompt access to services. 

This twice-yearly screening is a proactive approach to manage and prevent clusters or outbreaks in the town. The initiative also improves access to health screenings for people who often find engaging in healthcare and treatment falls to a lower priority in their day to day lives. Attendees also receive a bag containing self-care and hygiene items like sun cream, toothbrushes, soap and shampoo.

To maximise the benefits of the TB screening and engagement with this vulnerable population, other services were offered including blood borne virus screening; fibroscans for evidence of liver fibrosis; sexual health screening, contraception support and catch-up vaccinations including Measles, Mumps Rubella, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio. The screenings took place at NOAH Enterprise where 54 people were screened for TB.

TB is a curable bacterial infection which is usually spread when an infected individual has had close and prolonged contact with others. It can affect any part of the body but most often it affects the lungs.

Councillor Khtija Malik, Portfolio Holder with responsibility for public health, said: “For many people in Luton, health care is not a priority, and it is important to remember that there are many difficulties that come with day to day living for these people in our town. By bringing health screenings, like the TB Find and Treat event, we can improve access to important services for these people, as well as build relationships with them so that they are more likely to seek care and treatment should they need it.

“This is all part of our 2040 vision for a healthy town and aligns with our goals of battling health inequalities and being a Marmot town.”

Dr Sultan Salimee, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at UK HSA said: “TB is an infectious disease, but it does not spread easily to others and requires close, prolonged contact with an infectious individual. TB develops slowly in the body, and it usually takes several months for symptoms to appear such as fever and night sweats and an unexplained prolonged cough for more than three weeks. As a proactive measure to tackle the high incidence in Luton, we offered screening for TB to this group in the community, as they may be more vulnerable to the infection. If we were to find any other TB cases, people can be reassured that TB is treatable with a course of antibiotics.”

The number of Luton people diagnosed with active TB has decreased when compared with other parts of England with similar population demographics. However, Luton continues to have some of the highest rates of TB in the East of England and numbers of cases 3 times higher than the England average. Tuberculosis is a particular risk that affects some groups of people more than others and by bringing TB services to those that wouldn’t normally have easy access to screening and treatment we will be able to detect and treat people earlier which is a key to stopping the spread of the infection.