Highlights
- Ten workers test positive for latent TB at Amazon's Coventry warehouse following outbreak of contagious cases.
- UK Health Security Agency launches screening programme, assures affected individuals responding well to treatment.
- GMB union calls for temporary warehouse closure as TB cases across Britain rise 13.6 per cent in 2024.
Amazon has begun testing employees at its Coventry warehouse for tuberculosis following an outbreak of the infectious lung disease that has affected multiple workers at the facility.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) initiated a screening programme in September after several staff members were found to have contagious TB last year.
Subsequently, 10 workers at the site, which employs approximately 2,000 people according to the GMB union tested positive for latent tuberculosis in late last year.
Dr Roger Gajraj, consultant in health protection with UKHSA, confirmed a small number of individuals at the warehouse were identified with the disease.
"They are responding well to treatment and are no longer infectious, so pose no onward risk," he told The Guardian.
The agency is offering testing to those who may have had closer contact with affected individuals as a precautionary measure.
Latent TB differs from active tuberculosis as patients show no symptoms and cannot transmit the disease to others. However, without treatment, it can develop into the contagious form.
Main symptoms of active TB include persistent cough lasting over three weeks, exhaustion, high temperature, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss.
Amazon confirmed it immediately followed NHS and UKHSA guidance after cases were identified, informing all potentially affected employees.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we are currently running an expanded screening programme with the NHS," a spokesperson noted, adding that the company had briefed the entire site. "Nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our team members."
Union and concerns
However, GMB union senior organiser Amanda Gearing has called for "immediate and decisive action including the temporary closure of Amazon Coventry" until proper infection control measures are implemented to prevent further TB spread.
NHS staff attended the warehouse this week to conduct blood tests on employees.
One worker expressed concerns about the facility's high proportion of migrant employees, suggesting many might be vulnerable due to lack of vaccination in their home countries.
The outbreak occurs as TB cases across Britain surge. In 2024, notifications rose 13.6 per cent to 5,490 people, a rate of 9.4 per 100,000 population, approaching the World Health Organisation's threshold of 10 per 100,000 for low-incidence countries.
Coventry City Council encourages residents to recognise TB symptoms, emphasising that testing and treatment remain free on the NHS regardless of immigration status. Anyone experiencing symptoms should contact their GP or NHS 111 immediately.
