By james art Figures from Public Health Scotland (PHS) show there were 283 confirmed cases of the disease in 2023 – a 40.8% increase on the 201 recorded the previous year.
With figures dating back to 2000, cases in Scotland marked “the biggest annual increase seen to date”, the health authority added.
More than two-thirds of those infected with the disease were born outside the UK, with figures showing this was 67.5% of all cases in Scotland last year.
Public Health Scotland noted that the incidence of the disease in people born abroad was 19.2 times higher than in people born in the UK.
“The most commonly reported risk factor for TB is being a refugee or asylum seeker,” the latest report said.
It also revealed that there is a “strong” link between TB and deprivation, with figures revealing that three in 10 cases (30.8%) in Scotland last year were in the most deprived areas, while only 10.4% of the cases occurred in the wealthiest communities.
Cases of the disease – an infection that usually affects the lungs – were found in 13 of Scotland’s health board areas in 2023, with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde having the highest number, with 108 cases.
There were 44 cases in the NHS Lothian area and 28 in NHS Grampian, the figures show.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Dumfries and Galloway saw a 200% increase in the number of cases – with cases in the former rising from four to 12 and from two to six in the latter.
Last year’s increase comes as Scotland “has seen a downward trend in TB cases and incidence since 2010” – except for a slight increase in 2021.
However, Public Health Scotland said that despite the increase, “Scotland remains a low-incidence country”.
The TB incidence rate in Scotland was 5.2 cases per 100,000 population in 2023, almost five times less than the 25 cases per 100,000 reported in the European region for 2022 – the latest year for which data is available.
With eight people in Scotland dying before completing TB treatment in 2022, Public Health Scotland also said the death rate of 4% was the lowest since monitoring began in 2000.
While TB can be treated with antibiotics, it can be serious if left untreated.
Common symptoms include a cough that lasts three weeks or more, with sufferers sometimes coughing up mucus with blood in it.
People with the disease may also struggle with exhaustion, high fever or night sweats, loss of appetite and weight loss, and general malaise.
If the disease spreads to other parts of the body, patients may develop swollen glands, body aches, swollen joints, and stomach or pelvic pain, and may also suffer from headache, constipation, vomiting, headache, confusion, stiff neck, and rash on parts of the body.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government is aware of the increase in TB cases and is in regular contact with Public Health Scotland.
“Although the numbers remain low, we will continue to work with PHS and the UK Health Security Agency to better understand the factors contributing to the increase.”