Tuberculosis (TB) rates in Kirklees are the second worst in Yorkshire, public health chiefs have warned.

The region was behind only Bradford, in terms of number of cases per 100,000 people, with a total of 75 cases in 2013.

Figures have revealed twice as many people have the potentially deadly lung disease in Kirklees than the average.

The disease is a major killer worldwide but the invention of antibiotics virtually eradicated it in the UK.

But it is now on the rise again and figures show levels of TB have almost doubled since 2004.

The disease is particularly prevalent among the Pakistani community – who account for more than half of Kirklees’ cases.

Health chiefs say too many TB patients in Yorkshire are diagnosed long after their symptoms began.

Almost two thirds of cases diagnosed in 2012 had been symptomatic for over two months before diagnosis.

TB often affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body.

The pulmonary form of the disease is infectious and is spread from person to person when someone coughs - although close and prolonged contact with someone with active lung TB is usually needed for transmission to occur.

The symptoms of TB include: a persistent cough, fever, night sweats, weight loss, blood in your phlegm, lack of appetite, fatigue.

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