Locals are invited to come and get screened by Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust’s tuberculosis (TB) experts at this year’s Vaisakhi Mela this weekend.

With Birmingham having one of the highest rates of active TB in the country, medics from the Trust will be present at the event, which celebrates the Sikh New Year, to offer free screenings and raise awareness of TB and the importance of getting potential symptoms checked out as soon as possible. These symptoms include having a cough for longer than three weeks, fever, night sweats, loss of appetite and weight loss.

Hanna Kaur, lead nurse for TB at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are seeing a large number of cases within the multi-culturally diverse population in the local area.  This is thought to be due to the condition being infectious and easily spread between families, especially if they live in close proximity to each other. The disease, which affects mainly the lungs, can cause a person to become very sick if not treated.

“Through screening, we can check for this infection with a skin test and a blood test. People who have spent time with those who have TB should be screened for infection, before they themselves get ill with the disease.  With treatment, a TB infection can usually be cured.”

Vaisakhi Mela is taking place at Handsworth Park from 11am on 26 April.