Your article referring to the death of a 16-year-old student from TB in north-east London (“Colleges fear spread of TB”, FE Focus March 8) does not assist the wider understanding of this illness.
It was my intention to support a responsible debate on TB and ethnicity in further education. I have been a leading proponent of training of refugee doctors - and have been involved in the education of ethnic-minority doctors from overseas for more than 20 years.
The student whose death prompted your article was not an illegal immigrant but British-born. Our sympathies are with her family at this sad time. This all goes to show that TB is not a disease proliferated by illegal immigrants but a condition blind to race, age and social standing.
It is true that those from some ethnic minorities are more at risk of contracting TB, and that there is general concern that cases are on the rise. We must break taboos to discuss this subject, as this is the only way we will save lives.
Dr Mike Roberts
Consultant chest physician
Whipps Cross Hospital
Leytonstone, London E11
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