The death from tuberculosis of a 16-year-old student at a north-east London sixth-form college has raised fears about the spread of the disease in further education.

Leading physicians and further education heads are concerned that colleges could become a breeding ground for TB, as more asylum seekers with the disease enter the country and take up FE courses.

But few will speak out publicly about the “hot potato in an age of political correctness” that could backfire on colleges. Home Secretary and former education secretary David Blunkett wants a huge expansion of college-based courses in basic skills and English for asylum seekers. For many colleges, this will need very sensitive handling.

Tuberculosis is on the increase in Britain and Dr Mike Roberts, consultant chest physician at Whipps Cross hospital, east London, said: “There is no question it is due to immigration. Most of the people who catch TB are non-white and have been here less than three years.”

But Dr John Moore-Gillon, lung specialist at St Bartholomew’s and the London hospitals and president of the British Lung Foundation said: “TB is a global disease and every developing country reflects what is happening globally. There is more TB worldwide now as there is worldwide mobility on a scale that has never happened before.We can’t just put it down to immigration.

“Another problem is that in the UK it was thought to be a disease of the past so not much money has gone into TB control.

“Anyone can get TB but on average it is those who are socially disadvantaged.”

In 1987, 5,085 people in the UK were diagnosed with the TB virus. Last year there was a big rise with 6,838 cases recorded.

Colleges with a high proportion of ethnic minorities and asylum seekers are under pressure to provide a safe teaching environment. The death of Dominique Francis, a 16-year-old student at Leyton sixth-form college, last month, has increased the pressure.

Doctors have so far failed to discover where she caught the disease and there are fears she could have been infected at the college, which is mainly made up of pupils from Asian backgrounds.

Dr Roberts said: “New entrants into the country are often illegal and don’t want to seek help. This means they go on to infect other people and there is a big public health risk.

“This is a political hot potato as TB in Britain is a result of people bringing it from overseas.”

Leyton college has tested 14 pupils in Dominique’s tutor group for the disease and the results are pending.

Martin Lowe, head of human resources at the college, said: “It is thought that some students who have come from overseas will have some form of tuberculosis in their system. It was known that Dominique had a non-infectious variety of the disease. After Easter, we are offering BCG jabs to the college as a whole. We are not in an emergency situation.”

A spokeswoman for the lecturers’ union NATFHE said: “If there are health and safety issues to be addressed then colleges should be prepared to deal with this. The burden to provide a safe environment falls on them.

A spokeswoman for the Association of Colleges said the association did not comment on specific cases. “Colleges rely on Department for Education and Skills guidance on health and safety matters.”